Chapter 65: The Battle of White Mountain (Bilá Hora) 6

“Hurrah!”

“Long live Bohemia! Long live Count Turen!”

Gathered before the city gates, the Bohemian soldiers and citizens roared in victory.

Their eyes were on Count Turen and the 13 Nobles who were essentially the heroes of this occasion, having led them to an unlikely victory in the war.

As the victors who protected Bohemia from the clutches of the cruel Emperor.

Amid the people’s cheers, Count Turen and the 13 Nobles ascended a prepared platform.

As the champions who brought victory, all awaited their words.

As Turen raised his hand, the clamorous crowd fell silent.

Looking over the people seated before him, he bellowed in a thunderous, dignified voice befitting the victor:

“I proclaim to all gathered here… and to all the people of Bohemia!”

His voice resounded with the might and majesty of a lion, the pride of a victor, commanding everyone’s rapt attention.

“This war’s victory is not just ours alone! It is a triumph over the heretical forces of this empire… no, this entire continent! In other words, God has protected us from the clutches of that evil Church!”

“Ohhh…”

“Praise be to God!”

Having risen for the cause of religion, praising God was only natural for them.

The crowd naturally burst into reverent chants.

But Turen was not finished.

“However! It is too soon to be at ease!” he shouted firmly.

The people ceased their divine praises to heed his words once more.

“Although we have won thanks to God’s grace, it is not over yet! That wicked Emperor and the Church will not give up and will continue threatening this land and our freedom! We must continue our struggle against them, and I will do my utmost! To protect our liberty! To uphold God’s will!”

Turen raised his fist as he spoke those rousing words filled with resolve.

“For God’s will!”

“We can win!”

“For the glory of Bohemia!”

Inspired by his powerful, determined demeanor, the people erupted into fervent cheers.

A warning against the formidable remaining enemy.

Coupled with a renewed affirmation of their just cause, urging them onwards, Turen’s words reignited their ardent fighting spirit atop the joy of victory.

They too knew the Emperor would not give up so easily.

Though defeated once, his power spanning the continent remained formidable, this war just a glimpse of it.

Yet they were undaunted.

Having already achieved what seemed impossible, their morale soared, bolstered by the steadfast belief in their righteous cause.

And…

Watching the cheering people, a deep smile crept across Turen’s face.

Not just for the victory in war, but for everything proceeding according to plan…

As I watched my father’s victory speech amid the cheering people, I slowly nodded and turned my gaze towards him receiving the crowd’s adulation.

‘Indeed… our father is no ordinary man.’

What seemed like a simple declaration of victory and an exhortation for further struggle…

As one living in the modern era, I could discern my father Count Turen’s intentions went beyond that.

Although Turen was the lord of Bohemia, until the rebellion, power was essentially divided among the 13 Nobles.

However, the rebellion against the Emperor’s persecution of heresy and the ensuing war, an emergency situation, instantly upended this balance of power.

In a crisis, people naturally unite, individual interests suppressed for the collective good under such pretexts.

Against this backdrop, the power of my father Turen, the highest-ranking lord and Bohemia’s strongest mage, naturally grew. The 13 Nobles had no choice but to accept it, however reluctantly.

Though they usually squabbled for their own interests, they knew too well the consequences of dividing during this war. Hence, they followed Turen’s lead and contributed to the victory, each in their own way.

Yet, despite this victory, Turen had no intention of relinquishing the power he had seized.

In the past, the Nobles’ conflicts meant policies took considerable time and effort to decide in Bohemia.

But now, with power concentrated in Turen’s hands, he felt an ease he had never known.

Moreover, considering the Emperor still bared his fangs in distant Vienna, it was no time to let go of that power.

For these complex reasons, Turen needed to utilize public sentiment and the atmosphere to extend his reign.

And this speech was precisely aimed at that intent.

Emphasizing Bohemia’s crisis, stressing the need to maintain a state of emergency without letting up, this seemingly obvious speech allowed Turen to solidify his position. Some Nobles begrudgingly had to accept it, despite their misgivings.

Fundamentally, they were the ones who had entrusted him with power considering the crisis.

Moreover, they knew well the danger of power backed by public support.

‘Of course… that doesn’t mean those bastards will just obediently back down…’

Though forced to relinquish power due to circumstances, I doubted they would simply retreat.

For seasoned political players, they would likely try to maintain their influence in this situation, one way or another.

‘And in this regard, they probably have two options in mind, as in the original story…’

When facing an entrenched, righteous ruler, the simplest way to preserve one’s own faction was to get as close to that power as possible.

Means included pledges of allegiance, alliances, political marriages, and so on.

If overthrowing the prevailing regime was impossible, riding that wave was an option. It could even strengthen their own foundations in a sense.

Though overshadowed by the great oak, they would at least be sheltered from storms.

The alternative was to rally external forces against that ruler if they could not ally with him.

Though this risked fragmenting and weakening the very structure they belonged to through outside interference, it was an option if they could not ally with the established ruler for some reason.

In fact, some of Bohemia’s 13 Nobles were exploring this direction – the external forces that came in the name of reinforcements.

The Palatinate and Friedrich, as well as Anhalt, fell into this category. Some Nobles would surely try to check Turen’s dominance by backing Friedrich, the Prince-Elector.

The very reason the Palatinate forces came here was at the request of Nobles seeking to counter Turen, so this was an expected future.

The Bohemian Nobles pinning their hopes on Prince-Elector Friedrich to curb my father Turen’s supremacy.

However…

Regarding this whole situation, I knew well that events would not unfold so simply.

‘Bohemia’s war may have been won… but Father’s dominance must continue. The real war has only just begun… The news will likely arrive here formally soon enough…’

In the original story, this point covered the great defeat of the heretical forces.

One of them was the defeat right here in Bohemia where I was, a future I had now altered with my own hands.

Yet, I knew the Emperor had not been defeated.

What he had achieved this time was a victory…

A victory where, though his objectives were halved compared to the original, he had undoubtedly accomplished his intended goals…