kingdom of nations

Chapter 327 A Conversation About the Army (Part 1)

"But why would Richard send you as this messenger?"

The Count of Étienne was a Frankish minister to Philip II. Because of Aquitaine, Louis VII and Henry II were almost at loggerheads—and the vast territories that the English king owned in the Franks were always a thorn in the side of the French king.

Although Richard I once used force against his father with the support of Philip II, in politics, the relationship between allies and enemies can always be switched at will.

"Their relationship isn't too bad yet. Our king is willing to recognize Richard's throne and power—although the claims to some territories are still ambiguous. The alliance reached earlier seems to be able to continue for some time. It's also possible that Richard is eager to start the Third Crusade."

Even though he had no desire to sit on the throne and rule England, Richard knew that England alone could not possibly support the expenses and manpower required for a large-scale expedition. He was seeking support from various quarters. If Alexander III hadn't been dying and hadn't done things that Richard found repulsive, he might have already gone to Rome to ask the Pope to issue a bull summoning warriors willing to serve God to Alassane.

However, once the new pope takes over the reins, he may indeed launch a third holy war. A holy war is not only an honor for knights, but also an irresistible achievement for priests, especially the pope. But not many can actually do it.

The first holy war was called upon by Urban II, who joined the ranks of the saints.

Eugene III was the second to call for a Christian army to launch an eastern expedition, and he also gained great reputation and prestige for it—even though that expedition was unsuccessful.

The Third Crusade – Alexander III once wanted to be the one to lead the charge, but unfortunately, he encountered two unruly emperors and kings, one of whom was Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor.

During the Venetian meeting in 1177, Alexander III forced Frederick I to kneel and kiss his feet in public. The pope did this to consolidate his position in the church, but it aroused the dissatisfaction of the emperor and his supporters.

No matter how he appealed, Frederick I never responded.

Henry II of England was excommunicated by the Pope for assassinating Archbishop Beccot of Canterbury, whom he had supported but who later turned to the Church. The king was forced to publicly repent.

In that case, he shouldn't expect the King of England to do anything for the Roman Catholic Church.

But once Alexander III died, his successor, whoever he was, would inevitably use this to glorify himself and the church.

“What I mean by waiting is waiting for this opportunity,” Count Etienne said in a low voice. “Once the Third Crusade is in the preparation stage, with a thousand or ten thousand knights echoing it and many more priests traveling around praying day and night, who will care about the mistakes that a mere Crusader knight once made?”

And Cyprus, which you own, is a maritime fortress that is almost unavoidable during the eastward expedition.

If they were to travel by land, it would mean passing through the Seljuk Turkic territories of the Sultanate of Rum. Although the Turks also fought against the Saracens in Syria or Egypt, their most hated enemy was the Crusaders.

Even if they travel by sea, they must be wary of the Egyptian navy.

Although they didn't know if the once-powerful Fatimid navy could be restored to its former glory under Saladin, if they could form an alliance with Cyprus, or even better, have their sins forgiven, they would be walking on God's land. They could even use Cyprus as a shield, a storehouse, and an army that could provide them with support at any time. Then, the problems you face would be easily solved.

“But that doesn’t mean their malice towards you can be forgiven—I know you are a gentle, kind, even overly compassionate child,” Count Étienne chuckled. “I’m not saying this to make you complacent—you didn’t grow up in a castle,” he said, but his words carried little contempt; rather, he stated the facts plainly: “If you had grown up in a castle, even in Edessa, rather than Paris or London, you would know the severity of excommunication or grand excommunication.”

Although you still have many knights under your command who admire your character and are grateful for your loyalty, the commission you received from Baldwin IV, the fiefdom granted to you by Amalric I, and your claims to Cyprus are all based on your Christian identity...

Fortunately, you have no territory, no vassals, and your weak foundation has actually become a good thing.

In order to strike at the enemies of the Church, excommunication never ends with just the issuance of a decree. They will also instigate your enemies to launch an attack on you, and warn your allies to stand idly by. In their minds, you should be expelled from Allazar alone and helpless.

At that point, whether it's bandits or fanatical believers, they might kill you.

But what they didn't expect was that none of your knights, servants, or even the people you saved left you.

This was the first time I or anyone else had ever seen such a sight, and those in the church probably hadn't expected it either—which led to their conspiracy being aborted halfway and becoming unsustainable.

Not to mention, you quickly returned to Cyprus and defeated the emperor's army.

Thus, their second hope was also shattered.

Your decisive conversion made it difficult for them to continue their intimidation.

Anyone else, even Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch or Count Raymond of Tripoli, would be in a similar predicament and would be utterly overwhelmed.

“Perhaps it is precisely because I am neither an emperor nor a king that I am able to do this,” Cesar said, noting that his relationship with the church was very shallow compared to other monarchs. Even the knights who swore oaths to him with their hands on the scriptures were carefully selected by him, people who shared his ideals and character; they were thoughtful, discerning, and not easily swayed by the church's words.

While they wouldn't convert, they remained skeptical of Alexander III's excommunication. In short, they rejected the order and hoped the Church would understand their hesitation.

As for the Cypriots, there's not much more to say. They had long been disappointed with the Byzantine emperor, and although Cesare's stay with them was brief, it was enough for them to see his character and personality.

The persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, instead of a crusader knight, brought them an absolute monarch who shared their faith, which was an unexpected bonus for the Cypriots.

They even prayed for Alexander III, that even if this heretic went to hell, he should suffer less for this achievement.

The Venetians, on the other hand, wouldn't care at all. As merchants, they even traded with the Saracens, buying and selling intelligence and providing ships; why would they care about a mere piece of paper?
It can only be said that both Cesar and his enemies misjudged each other's bottom line and upper limit, which led to the current situation.

“You mustn’t be soft-hearted, child,” Count Étienne cautioned. “If you are a truly devout person—and I’m not saying you’re not devout…” he added, belatedly, “you were spared because you have something more important in your heart than Jesus Christ. I once saw a priest who had been excommunicated and a knight who had also been excommunicated; without exception, they became irredeemable rubbish, as if the Church’s great excommunication had taken something from them. They withered quickly like flowers without water, and no matter how much they prayed or repented, they could not recover the strength that had been lost from them.”

I'm glad I don't see these terrible signs in you, but who could have imagined this outcome before the grand slam was handed down?

They are like a group of assassins walking in the night. They wound you, and you survive because you are wearing armor and holding weapons, not because they pity you or pardon you.

"On this matter, you must not waver. You now possess Cyprus and have a successor. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, it will be the messengers of the Roman Catholic Church kneeling at your feet, begging for your mercy." "I understand what you mean."

"So you should start preparing now—the Third Crusade is inevitable. Once the new Pope issues the decree and the monarchs have made all the necessary preparations, they will surely extend an olive branch to you when they arrive here."

You may not be able to join the Crusaders on their eastward expedition as a member of the army, but you can ride alongside them as the autocratic monarch of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Here, Count Etienne let out an indescribable sigh—if Cesar had remained by Baldwin's side, it would have been hard to recall that he was also a monarch—Cesar's status might now be slightly less than that of the King of Arathal—but they were practically the same.

"You must have an army that others cannot underestimate. How many knights do you have now?"

One hundred and eighty people.

"That's quite a lot."

I've heard that you're very demanding, and you refuse to accept any knight who has killed innocent people, violated women or children, robbed pilgrims, or even merchants.

Not only that, you also forbid them from drinking and gambling. Some say that the knightly order you created might be like the Knights Templar—not priests, but even more so.

“For some, it may be a very minor sin,” Cesar said. “But I know that even the smallest sin can eventually evolve into a terrible crime. You are a good person, so you should know that the speed at which one can fall into depravity is always unusually fast.”

"It is human nature to pursue happiness, and none of us can deny that." The count nodded slightly.

"But when I passed through your village, I encountered some soldiers. To be honest, judging from their equipment, bearing, and discipline, they were almost like knights. And, perhaps I'm mistaken—is it true that there are tax collectors and soldiers in every village?"

“Only on my territory,” Cesar said, though because of the previous rebellion he now owns a quarter of Cyprus’s land, orchards and workshops, and he can do as he pleases.

Some might think he was too harsh or too hasty. But without the sincerity and respect shown to him by the people of Bethlehem and Cyprus, he might have indeed hesitated. But now he sees that the people of this era and this place are not as ignorant and incapable of distinguishing right from wrong as those in power claim. They still possess a basic sense of judgment and are willing to work towards this outcome.

Their loyalty even surpassed that of the knights and lords.

"Are you planning to build a lord's army?"

When people talk about standing armies, they often think that it was something that only existed in the 15th, 16th, or even 18th and 19th centuries. After all, to support a knight who does not participate in any labor, you need 300 acres of good land, and this is not a one-time expense, but something that needs to be provided for a long time.

Everyone knows what these trained, strong men with no skills other than fighting and killing will do once they realize you can't keep your promises to them.

Moreover, since they are all young men, they will also get married and have children—if you were to cover the expenses of a family for them, that expense would be enough to threaten the local finances.

So, you're saying I'm only responsible for him and not his family? Then he'll have to work for others to ensure his wife and children are fed and clothed. Some knights have to take on several jobs because their lords are too poor—soldiers can only farm or work as craftsmen. At that point, being a full-time soldier becomes a joke.

"Furthermore, you must also pay attention to balancing the relationship between knights and soldiers."

There is a saying that goes, “My vassal’s vassal is not my vassal,” meaning that a knight’s squires and armed servants may not obey the lord’s orders—their master is the lord’s knight.

César's soldiers were entirely of his own making, and fortunately, the County of Edessa had already fallen. If César had been Antioch, Tripoli, or any Frankish or English lord, his intention to maintain a large army would have provoked resentment among the knights.

This also relates to the vassal system at that time.

We all know that this ancient system originated from the tribal system of barbarian tribes—the current king was originally just the leader of those loose alliances. He was just a relatively powerful force, not a dictator. He led the leaders of other tribes to victory and obtained women, money, and land. In return, the leaders of other tribes were willing to be driven by him.

This was the prototype of the modern European monarchy and vassalage model.

As kingdoms were established one by one and kings granted land piece by piece, another situation arose that made the kings feel uneasy – the land controlled by the king was even less than that of his subjects. For example, Philip II, the young king mentioned earlier, had a direct territory of only one-fifteenth of the whole of France.

Therefore, his subjects were very wary and sensitive about how much power the king possessed. If the king wanted to go to war and summoned them to serve, they would happily go with their knights—but the king's desire to have his own power was quite intriguing.

Because this force can target not only external enemies, but also them; no one would not want territory and power, not even a king.

Cesar's idea of ​​establishing a lord's army also needs to be handled with caution; if not handled properly, it could also discourage his knights.

"Why don't you do what those kings did, summoning knights to fight for you while also using mercenaries?"

This was indeed a method many kings used when preparing to wage war abroad, as they could not afford the expenses of a full-fledged army and could not suppress the unease of their subjects.

In that case, mercenaries become the best option.

Cesar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't trust those people."

It is very common for mercenaries to suddenly refuse to continue serving their employers or to demand exorbitant prices on the battlefield. More likely, they will repeatedly extort money from both sides of the enemy before even firing a single arrow, siding with whoever pays the most.

When the war situation turns against them, they often defect or desert, not to mention that mercenaries sometimes don't even care about the money their employers give them. What they demand from their employers is not just money, but the right to plunder—not only against the employer's enemies, but also against the employer. Wherever they go, villages and towns are looted, and the wealth they obtain in this way is far more than they would have earned by dutifully accepting employment.

Just as Manuel I once promised the mercenaries besieging Nicosia that they could plunder the city at will.

But in any case, this was something Cesar could not tolerate.

(End of this chapter)