Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 276 The Yellow Peril Has Arrived, and Europe is in Shock!

Just as China was embarking on its great age of maritime exploration, Europe was already shrouded in the shadow of fear.

Back then, Guyuk, Möngke, and Yesü returned with an army of 90,000 to vie for the throne.

Europeans breathed a sigh of relief, and Pope Gregory IX was even more delighted, declaring it to be the work of God.

God bless his people!

Ögedei Khan disrespected God, hence this retribution!

Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, certainly wouldn't believe the Pope's nonsense. However, he also felt that the current situation in Europe was excellent.

Ögedei is dead. If Güyük leads a large army back to fight for the throne, there will probably be a bloodbath.

Even without a bloodbath, it would probably take him quite a while to ascend to the throne. And after that, consolidating his position and managing the government would likely take at least two or three years.
All things considered, Europe gained six or seven years of breathing room!

Frederick II then turned his attention to the Lombard League in northern Italy.

Although the Papacy has repeatedly issued orders and Frederick II has long stated that in order to deal with the Mongol invasion, Europe should no longer fight among itself.

However, this Lombard League is quite unique.

Its status is ambiguous; it belongs to the Holy Roman Empire, yet it does not.

More than a hundred years ago, a coalition of cities in northern Italy, including Milan, Brescia, Parma, and Verona, was formed to resist the rule of the Holy Roman Empire and to achieve regional autonomy.

The Pope loved those who opposed the Holy Roman Empire and openly and covertly supported the Lombard League.

After a period of fighting, the two sides reached a compromise.

The Lombard League recognized the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor, but was only required to pay a symbolic tax annually. The Holy Roman Empire had no influence over the Lombard League beyond collecting this tax.

Frederick II was certainly unwilling to accept the de facto division of the Lombard League.

Taking advantage of this lull, he launched a large-scale attack on the Lombard League.

Pope Gregory IX was furious and declared Frederick II excommunicated, meaning he was no longer recognized as a Christian.

So be it, Frederick II has been excommunicated before. He ignored it and continued his attack on the Lombard League.

Ultimately, Frederick II defeated the main force of the Lombard League at the Battle of Côte d'Or.

After this battle, Frederick II not only blatantly paraded the captured Lombard League commander through the streets, but also presented the captured "Liberty Flag Carriage," symbolizing Milan, the largest city in the Lombard League, as a "gift" to the Pope.

Gregory IX was furious.

It wasn't just about Frederick II humiliating him; the key issue was that if Frederick II conquered the Lombard League, he could completely encircle the Papal States within his sphere of influence. Gregory IX would be utterly trapped!
In an attempt to salvage the situation, Gregory IX decided to convene all the bishops and cardinals of Europe in Rome to depose Frederick II from the throne.

This move is actually quite powerful.

After all, the Holy Roman Empire was not like China, where all power was concentrated in the hands of the emperor. After the Pope deposed Frederick II, the powerful nobles under Frederick II would certainly be eager to make their move.

However, Frederick II went even further.

He directly ordered his son-in-law to capture more than one hundred clergy members attending the Roman Congress by sea.

If not everyone can attend, how will the Pope hold a meeting?
Gregory IX was over ninety years old this year, how could he withstand such a shock? He died instantly.

Frederick II was very pleased and immediately led his army to the Papal States.

He wanted to coerce the Papal States into electing a pope who was inclined to support him.

However, things didn't go as planned. Just then, news arrived that Guyuk had launched another westward expedition and was heading towards Poland.

Frederick II was dumbfounded.

Guyuk arrived far too quickly! He had just led a large army back to Mongolia, ascended the throne, and then immediately launched another westward expedition.

Why don't you take a rest?
Why can't you stabilize the political situation a little?
And most importantly, what should Frederick II do now?
Even when the Mongol army attacks, the Pope's banner is still needed to unite Europe!

Frederick II no longer had enough time to pressure the Papacy into electing a pope who favored him. After all, he couldn't go too far. If the various dioceses considered the pope a puppet of Frederick II, then papal bulls would be worthless.

Left with no other option, Frederick II had to withdraw his troops and release the more than one hundred clergy.

He announced that he would no longer interfere in the election of the Pope and urged the Vatican to elect a pope as soon as possible.

After more than two months of debate, the new Pope Celestine IV was finally announced as the new Pope.

Then, Celestine IV called upon the most powerful figures in Europe to come to Rome for a meeting to discuss how to deal with the Mongols.

Of course, there's no need for representatives from Hungary, Poland, or the Kingdom of Bohemia to come.

Poland was the target of the Mongols.

Hungary and Bohemia are Poland's neighbors and can provide reinforcements at the fastest speed.

And so, more than two months later, over 120 influential figures from Europe gathered in Rome to discuss countermeasures.

After seven days of continuous discussion, a decision was finally made.

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was the commander-in-chief, leading his country's army of 150,000. Cardinal Sinibaldo Fieschi was the deputy commander, leading the Papacy's standing crusaders of 50,000. The total force of 200,000 was initially deployed to support Poland.

The other countries returned to reorganize their troops and dispatched their elite forces to Poland, where they were unified under the command of Frederick II and Sinibaldo Fisci.

Logically, the commander-in-chief of this European coalition should be Pope Celestine IV.

However, the newly elected Pope Celestine IV is only slightly younger than Gregory IX, and at 87 years old, he is simply not up to the rigors of a long journey.

He could only give a morale-boosting speech at the end of the meeting.

"Servants of Christ, guardians of Europe!"

"The Mongol army is coming in with overwhelming force, intending to destroy our homes and desecrate our faith. What we must do now is to resist them, defeat them, and kill them all!"

"Our first batch of reinforcements alone numbered 200,000! Subsequent reinforcements are arriving, bringing the total to 400,000! The Mongol army, on the other hand, has only 100,000! They are no match for us!"

"And more importantly, we have a devout faith! For God, what are His people afraid of sacrificing themselves? God will surely protect His people, making them invincible and victorious in every battle!"

"Victory will surely be ours! God is with us!"

Wow~~
As soon as Celestine IV finished speaking, a warm response erupted inside the Basilica of St. John.

"Victory belongs to us!"

"For the glory of God!"

"For Europe, protect our home!"

"God is with us!" ...

The nobles of Europe raised their arms high and shouted loudly.

They certainly knew of the Mongol's power.

However, although the Mongol Khan personally led the expedition, he didn't bring the entire nation's army. Only 100,000 men—could the combined might of Europe not handle it?
They are full of confidence in victory!

However, at this moment—

Deng Deng Deng~~
With a series of hurried footsteps, a tall, travel-worn European nobleman strode into the hall.

He shouted, "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! Poland is in danger! Send reinforcements immediately!"

Ok?
The cheers inside the hall abruptly ceased, and everyone turned to look at the nobleman who had brought the news.

Pope Celestine IV, whose eyesight was failing, did not recognize the visitor.

Frederick II recognized him and asked in confusion, "Count Leni Leb, is that you? Shouldn't you be preparing for war in the Duchy of Bohemia right now? What's going on in Poland?"

"The Mongol army has invaded Poland and won a series of great victories. Poland is in imminent danger!"

"How is that possible? According to the timeline, the Mongol army will not enter Polish territory for another month."

"The most fatal flaw is the inference made over the past month."

Lenileb said bitterly, "On the surface, the Mongol army is advancing at the planned marching speed, but in reality, they have sent General Subutai with 8,000 troops to launch a surprise attack on Poland!"

Frederick II frowned and said, "Even if Subutai caught Poland off guard, surely a mere 8,000 troops shouldn't have put Poland in such a dire situation?"

"Another crucial point is that Subutai didn't actually march from Western Rus'. He bypassed Northern Rus' and persuaded King Mindaogas of Lithuania. Mindaogas not only granted Subutai passage but also sent two thousand Lithuanian cavalry to assist him. The entire army of ten thousand marched south through Lithuania and into Poland. The main Polish army was already deployed on the Western Rus' border. Coupled with Subutai's surprise attack, they were practically defenseless!"

The Western Rus' region where Zhao Shuo lived, which is now western Ukraine, did indeed border only Hungary and Poland.

However, the entire Rus' territory occupied by the Jochi lineage bordered a European country, namely Lithuania.

Lithuania is located to the north of Poland.

If Lithuania were willing to grant passage, Subutai could bypass the heavily fortified Siros defenses of the Poles and directly invade Poland from the north.

"That damned Mindaogas!" Frederick II said bitterly, "Doesn't he realize that no matter how many benefits the Mongols promise him, given their overwhelming power, will he be able to obtain them? The Mongols will probably swallow up the entire Lithuania!"

That being said, Frederick II understood that Mindaogas's choice could not be considered irrational.

Firstly, Lithuania adheres to Baltic polytheism, which is fundamentally incompatible with the cultures of other European countries. Moreover, Europe has repeatedly organized crusades to the north, attempting to bring Lithuania into the Christian world.

To Lithuania, the Mongols were certainly not good people, but Europe had a blood feud with Lithuania!
Secondly, if Lithuania refused to grant passage, then after the Mongols destroyed Poland, Lithuania would be caught in a pincer movement by the Mongols from the north and south, and would still be doomed.

After weighing the pros and cons, Mindogas's choice is actually quite normal.

Leni Leb continued, "The combined forces of Subutai and Lithuania, numbering ten thousand, entered Poland but did not attack the city. Instead, they relied on their superior cavalry to advance rapidly and reach the outskirts of Krakow, the Polish capital."

"After two days of probing attacks, they retreated. The Krakow defenders, thinking the Mongol army was nothing special, sent troops in pursuit, only to fall into a Mongol ambush and be completely wiped out. The Mongols seized the opportunity to capture Krakow, killing the king and his mother. Countless soldiers and civilians in the city were killed or wounded; only young women survived."

Frederick II said, "Although the Polish ruler is the nominal head of state, his power is not great. Even if Krakow is captured, Poland will not be in great danger."

"anything else!"

Leni said, "After Subutai captured Krakow, he heard that Henry II, the Grand Duke of Sicily, was leading 15,000 reinforcements toward Krakow. He decided to lead his army out of the city to intercept Henry II's reinforcements."

"At that time, Henry II's reinforcements numbered 15,000, while Subutai and the Lithuanian allied forces numbered less than 10,000. The decisive battle took place on a plain twenty miles from the city of Legnica. As a result, Henry II suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Subutai, and he himself died in the chaos of battle."

"Our Bohemian reinforcements, numbering 20,000, had already entered Polish territory and were only two days' journey from the city of Legnitz. Upon learning of the Battle of Legnitz, they dared not advance further and could only return to defend Bohemia, sending me here to request reinforcements."

"Your Majesty, Günther has led 8,000 troops and is about to destroy Poland. Guyuk has arrived with 100,000 troops. How will Poland resist? You must send reinforcements immediately!"

Wow~~
As soon as Lenore finished speaking, the hall erupted in commotion again, but this time it wasn't excited shouts, but rather wails of despair.

"He's dead! Henry II has been killed in battle! He led the most powerful Polish army and never lost a battle against Lithuania!"

"The Principality of Lesser Poland and the Principality of Sicily are finished. I'm afraid the whole of Poland won't last much longer!"

"If eight thousand Mongol soldiers can achieve this, can we really stop a Mongol army of one hundred thousand?"

"God! Did you send these Easterners here specifically to punish us sinners?"

"Back then, Attila the Hun, who came from the East, almost destroyed Europe! It's hard to say whether we can have the same luck this time!"

"God! Please guide your lost sheep, is there still hope for our victory?"

……

The European nobles were in an uproar, and a gloomy atmosphere hung over the hall.

There was no way around it; Subutai's results were simply too astonishing.

If it were Guyuk leading an army of 100,000, even if he destroyed Poland, they wouldn't be so panicked.

However, the current situation is that Subutai, with only 8,000 men and 2,000 Lithuanian vassal troops, killed the Polish ruler and Henry II, the Grand Duke of Sicily, the most powerful state in Poland.

The Duchy of Little Poland and the Duchy of Sicily are both finished.

It's unclear how much longer the remaining Grand Duchy of Poland and the Duchy of Mazovia can hold out.

Can the combined might of Europe truly withstand Guyuk's army of 100,000?
Almighty God, where are you?

Gradually, the voices of the people lowered, and they all looked toward Celestine IV, hoping that this "spokesperson for God on earth" would say a few words and point them in the right direction.

However, what they saw was—

"..."

Celestine IV's lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Then, suddenly—

Pfft!
Celestine IV fell backward!
"Your Holiness, what's wrong?"

"Doctor! Call a doctor quickly!"

……

As gasps of surprise rang out, people rushed forward to gather around.

Immediately afterwards, a sobbing voice rang out: "The Pope has been called by the Lord!"

Celestine IV returned to God's embrace after only eighty-two days in office!
(End of this chapter)