<Episode 548> Rice Cakes You Can't Even Eat
About two weeks ago, Pope Justinian of Trevero received letters from the Kingdoms of Salamanta and Gredo. Contrary to the Pope's unwavering belief, the replies rejected the request for troop deployment.
"Th-what is this...!"
The old Pope's hands trembled uncontrollably. He, who ought to be the spiritual leader of Yesak. was now consumed by anger and fear. He was not in a position to lead anyone
"What? Is the succession unstable because you have many sons?"
Salamanta's reply was a spectacle.
"It's not like you're those bastards of the Moorish Empire who make people risk their lives fighting for the succession. If you have many sons, the succession is secure. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"
Gredo, the Pope's home country, was still slightly better than Salamanta in terms of attitude. He comforted Pope Justinian in his predicament and, at least verbally, condemned Philip of Gallico, the Jesuit monarch who was threatening Trevero. However, in terms of content, Salamanta, who had cleanly refused, was actually better.
"Salamanta is constantly eyeing the border, so you are asking me to punish King Salamanta for attempting to attack a fellow Yesak monarchy?"
It was as if they had come to beg for money from a starving household. Salamanta and Gredo, who shared a border, waged war in 1109 over ownership of the region of Otegaron. Defeated, Gredo subsequently paid a war indemnity of 250,000 ducats. Since then, the two constantly eyed each other and did not participate in the Crusades, keeping the other in check.
"Even if you say you cannot send troops across the sea, to refuse to dispatch them when they are right on your doorstep! What country didn't suffer from a famine last year that you dare to use that as an excuse?! What has become of your faith? It is the end of the world, the end of the world!"
The old Pope was furious. He was so agitated that his face turned bright red, and veins bulged in his neck and head. He was on the verge of collapsing.
Cardinal Archandele, who had been closest to the throne during the last conclave, could not hide his hopeful gaze for just a brief moment. However, the aging Pope's cerebral blood vessels were stronger than they appeared, and he safely survived the risk of a stroke. Instead of handing the Pope's scepter over to Cardinal Archandele, he summoned Cardinal Wittelbausen, who was close to the Grand Duke of Yuldenburg.
"If I send a messenger to the Duchy of Sternheim right now, how many days will it take?"
The Cardinal in charge of the Diocese of Anheim within the Duchy of Sternheim bowed his head.
"Considering that it is currently winter, I think it will take a month, or at the earliest, three and a half weeks."
Cardinal Archandele chimed in from the side, making a remark that was unclear whether he was teasing or worried.
"Your Holiness. According to scout reports, siege weapons have been arriving one after another at the encampment of the Gallico soldiers assembled across the Prinoyac Mountains for the past two days."
There was indeed a snow-covered mountain path between Trevero and the Gallico army. If they were to temporarily repurpose the Holy Guards responsible for security into a guerrilla force to launch a surprise attack on the mountain path, they could buy some time and reduce their numbers to a very small extent. But that was all. The Holy See had absolutely no means to annihilate Gallico's heavy knight division. Even the threat of excommunication was futile against a living, breathing army.
Even with a generous estimate, three weeks is more than enough time for them to easily cross the mountain range.
"If they just arrive with their siege equipment, it is only a matter of time before Trevero falls," Cardinal Archandele declared once again.
"If it takes two months for a messenger to travel back and forth, even if Grand Duke Yuldenburg sends troops, everything will be over by the time he arrives!"
Cardinal Wittelbausen also conveyed words of dissuasion.
"It will not be easy for the Duchy of Sternheim to send troops, Your Holiness. Of course, Salamanta and Gredo cited internal circumstances, but there are genuine problems here."
Grand Duke Yuldenburg returned triumphantly as the victorious commander-in-chief of the Holy War. Everyone whispered that with such military achievements, he would surely escape the cycle of reincarnation and secure a place in Heaven. However, the protection of Yesak did not accompany Grand Duke Yuldenburg in this life. Having captured the holy city of Yesak, he established the Kingdom of Yesa. The first King was, of course, Grand Duke Yuldenburg, no, Ulrich I. However, as soon as Yesak fell, he had to return to his homeland without even finishing the cleanup.
This was because the injuries sustained in battle had worsened.
"The current governor of the Kingdom of Yesak is Count Sharpey, a close confidant of Grand Duke Yuldenburg."
Count Sharpey was a trustworthy, loyal subject who had been entrusted with a significant portion of the Duchy's important affairs. Grand Duke Yuldenburg had to send such a man away for the founding of the Kingdom of Yesak. It would have been good if the branch had done well enough to support the headquarters, but Count Sharpey did not have the capacity to support his home country.
"First of all, as you know, the situation in the Kingdom of Yesak is not good."
Since the main body of the Third Crusade returned to the Central Continent, Yesak once again found itself surrounded by pagans, just as the former Pope Louis the Great had prophesied. Count Sharpey was struggling day after day with only a handful of troops.
"Of course I know! With rescue requests coming in day in and day out, how could I not know!"
Except for Grand Duke Yuldenburg, everyone who participated in the War of Yesak had their own ulterior motives. The primary motivation for the common knights and lower-ranking nobles to join the war was the acquisition of land.
It was a petty, yet life-staking expectation: that if they distinguished themselves in battle, the lands of Yesak might be torn apart and granted to them as their personal estates. This was also a reasonable expectation. In battles fought within the Central Continent, land ownership was meticulously recorded several generations back, so it was common for victors to have to return lands after merely receiving oaths of loyalty; however, Yesak was a pagan land.
Naturally, it was easier to seize. Yet, Grand Duke Yuldenburg, who had volunteered for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Holy War out of pure faith, even spending his own fortune, could not understand them. There was land that had been promised to the Grand Masters in advance, even before the Third Crusade had set out.
The port city of Valianti went to the Kingdom of Gallico. The Republic of Porto, which had demanded a permanent autonomous republic within Valianti, also received its share after the victory. Grand Duke Yuldenburg placed all recovered lands, excluding this one, under the direct control of the Governor of Yesak. Since the Governor of Yesak could not cultivate all the farmland alone, in practice, the land was distributed to the local Jesapite tenant farmers. It was a noble act, but politically, it was the worst possible move.
As the land went to neighbors, servants, or even slaves of the original landowners, the original owners considered it property they were rightfully entitled to reclaim. Conflicts over the return of land that had belonged to them were frequent. Had it been shared among knights from outside the region, far more would have given up out of fear. Since the land went to those powerless to defend it themselves, the increased security costs were entirely passed on to the Kingdom of Yesak.
"They are constantly requesting aid not only from us but also from their home country, but it seems the situation in the Duchy of Sternheim is also difficult right now."
Ulrich I, Grand Duke of Yuldenberg, remained confined to his bed and could not get up. He had contracted a persistent inflammation and fever as a result of the fall from his horse. Suddenly, the Grand Duke's 17-year-old son became the temporary regent, and his mother, the Grand Duchess, took charge of the affairs.
"The Grand Duchess, no, the Queen, is excellent in her faith, but she is not skilled in matters like secular royal politics."
In truth, Queen Ulrich I was being threatened. Her three-year-old daughter was the problem. The Grand Duke had been away from the country for about three and a half years, nearly four years. This was due to the Third Crusade, the preparations before and after it, and the travel time.
The King's youngest daughter was three years old, born exactly nine months after her father left his homeland. When everything was going well, the youngest daughter was the daughter of the Holy War, a symbol of good fortune. With her birth, news of victories began to arrive, and just as she started to look somewhat decent, her father returned with ownership of the ancient capital.
However, once someone determined to find fault set their sights on her, the youngest daughter suddenly became evidence that the Queen was having an affair with another man. The one determined to find fault was none other than the monarch of the neighboring County, Count Achenbach.
He spread rumors among the neighboring small principalities, including the North Sea Confederation, claiming that Ulrich I's Queen was an unfaithful woman, that the youngest child was certainly the offspring of an affair, and questioning whether the eldest son, the regent, could truly trust his lineage.
Ulrich I's Queen had no family to support her. Coming from a small principality, she had no ties left to her homeland; furthermore, her immediate family had all died while accompanying her to the holy war, and her sister-in-law had seized real power in the kingdom. Her husband, who should have protected her, was bedridden and unable to actively defend her.
Moreover, rumors of this nature were bound to circulate behind people's backs. Naive people often did not know why things had turned out this way, only realizing it belatedly after being beaten. The young regent fell into a lame-duck state at an alarming rate and was simply bewildered as to why the local lords were not obeying his orders. And Ulrich I's son, with his hands and feet paralyzed, had to somehow replenish the 50,000 ducats of private fortune his father had dragged to the temple. It was not easy.
Cardinal Wittelbausen had no intention of going so far as to report this complicated scandal to the Pope.
'It's a ridiculous and useless rumor. It won't do any good for it to become known.'
First, if this spread further, it was inevitable that it would become known eventually. After all, rumors cannot be stopped simply by keeping one's mouth shut. Still, it did not need to come out of his own mouth.
"Since Salamanta and Gredo have expressed their refusal, the only one we can trust now is the Etruscan Kingdom."
Neither Cardinal Fraverti nor Cardinal Archandele disagreed on this
"Considering the size of our ground forces and the distance we can reach, I report that there is no alternative other than the Etruscan Kingdom."
"Please send a letter immediately to the monarch of the Etruscan Kingdom and urge him to send out troops."
Following this, they debated for a long time whether the type of letter to be sent should be a papal decree that imposes an obligation of obedience on the recipient, or a recommendation that can be interpreted as a mere suggestion, and so on.
"A recommendation that would at least save face in case we get rejected..."
"Just a moment."
Cardinal Praverti interrupted Archandele.
"By the way, putting aside the type of letter, who should I send it to?"
Was it Leo III, the nominal King, or Prince Alfonso, who actually commanded the army and was capable of marching to Treveto at the right time?
Moreover, Leo III was at the southern end, while Prince Alfonso was stationed in the central region, not far from the border.
***
Isabella gritted her teeth at the Marchioness de Montefeltro, complaining that she only flattered in public and did not show up when it mattered most, but the Marchioness actually had a large bribe prepared.
"My dear daughter-in-law, is this really something to dislike that much?"
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