episode_0155

“You mean siege?”

“You can’t attack and get over that wall. If there is a shortcut, it is right to go back.”

When I hinted at the topic, Heinrich readily admitted it.

Yes, as expected, the emperor was not caught up in the madness of thinking that his aptitude would be relieved by pulverizing the Holy See. I believed it.

So, is the first scenario of looting after a siege wrong?

In fact, there was a good chance that some of the commanders’ deviations would lead to madness and plunder before the march, but for now, it seemed safe. Considering such exceptions one by one will only give you a headache.

“Gongseong is given up. Just maintain the siege, and occasionally use arrows as a warning.”

“Do you have any further instructions?”

“Call the messengers. I will send a letter urging surrender.”

The emperor ordered the commanders to provide estimates for the battle, and as soon as he received the receipt that ‘it would take more than three years and require the replacement of thousands of soldiers,’ he completely threw away his lingering attachment to the siege.

“Hasn’t the invitation to surrender already been rejected? Is there any point in trying again?”

“The refusal that just came back is the will of the Pope, and what we are trying to shake from now on is the will of the city. This time, we will send it to the city’s wealthy merchants and influential people.”

And he said he had something to say, so he invited me along with the new faces that the Count of Canossa had added.

“The Count of Canossa said he had planted some people in advance.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They said they would begin action as soon as the army surrounded the castle, so you will be able to see the results in a few days.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Of course there is. It would be great if you could add credibility to the persuasion.”

The emperor secretly turned his gaze to me.

“… What’s going on?”

“Yes, we need to add credibility.”

*****

The option of surrender was forcibly erased.

Except for the Pope in the back room, the priests split into two and started fighting.

“You have to make a decision! If they acknowledge their own fake pope, are they really true believers?”

“Crazy people, don’t you still understand? Now is the time to unite, not to divide and antagonize! If not now, when will we push the emperor into a corner?”

Even though I hate you, once again. Still, the Pope of the Vatican is better than Henry’s puppet Pope.

If the gates of Remus, the largest city and sacred place on this continent, were locked, even the emperor would have no choice.

The mainstream opinion was that there should be a sit-in protest to achieve at least a draw.

“When? God has already abandoned Gregory! How can I trust him anymore when he makes prophecies that will never come true?

“I admit it honestly. The trend has already turned. If you cannot prepare to face a new era, you will only be left behind.”

And the clergy who did not like the current Pope in the first place.

It was a mixed group of those who had formed a temporary alliance only until Gregory could be brought down, and some opportunists who were planning to impress Henry and take over a position.

Of course, up to this point, this was the position of the clergy.

The position of the people who were living well but were swept up in the fire of war was a little different.

“The messenger has just departed. The emperor’s invitation to surrender was rejected. Get ready, the battle will begin in a few days!”

“Remus will soon become a battlefield! When the battle is over, everything will burn and nothing will remain in the city!”

“Ugh, enemy raid alert, enemy raid alert! Full military force mobilized!!”

“So, what happens to us then?”

“Isn’t it obvious? What else would you do if there was a battle?”

Even if drinking water comes from a river, the immediate food situation becomes difficult.

With my belt so tight, the only thing I can eat all day is bread. Say goodbye to meat stew, my child’s snack and my dad’s nutritious snack, for the time being.

Refugees who fled the war testified to the vivid hardships they experienced.

Of course, the local residents who heard the story screamed in fear, hearing only the gloomy outlook rather than survival tips.

It would have been nice to think that if it ended there, they would just go on a diet and stay for a while, but if the battle actually broke out, it was obvious that all humans with two hands and two feet would be mobilized to the castle walls.

why? The moment the walls are breached, the unlimited plunder permitted by the emperor will begin.

If I wanted to protect my family and the property I had devoted my entire life to, the only option left was to fight as hard as I could.

There are enough complaints, but there is no place to vent them.

And the soothing words of taking out the steam from a kettle that is about to boil over and gently scratching an itchy back are dramatic.

“I’m here to tell you some good words.”

“Yes? I’m already busy because of the war, so what’s that-”

“There is no need for everyone to share in the damage, right? His Majesty Henry promised that no harm would be done to him if he were allowed to enter the city.”

My ears are prickly. If a city survived by sacrificing a pope, how could there be any business left like this?

Nevertheless, the people who glanced around to see if the security was listening to this still pretended to be resolute.

“Well, what nonsense is that! You’re selling His Holiness. I’m going to pretend like I didn’t listen, so that’s enough-”

“There are collaborators. Many bishops decided to respond, and the target people hired people who were weak.”

“Wait a minute, let me think about it a little more.”

“The rebellion will begin soon. You can do whatever you feel like at the time.”

It was not something that could be easily imagined. The sight of people willingly opening the city gates to let the emperor in, and the pope being taken away… It was so profane.

Still, it was much better than burning the entire city down to a pile of ashes. People usually didn’t give an answer right away, but inside they were very agitated.

and.

There was only one person who predicted the future.

*****

Immediately after receiving the news that the emperor had crossed the mountain range, Gregory visited various churches in Remus to inspect the liver.

To be precise, he tested public sentiment in his own way by giving a speech that encouraged courage and ignited passion and argued for overthrowing the emperor.

Although we can only speak of the facility called the Vatican itself, the entire city of Remus, which surrounds it, is not a clerical settlement.

In the end, the city is bound to be occupied by nobility above the clergy, and by an overwhelming majority of the people.

And the results of several days of observation and analysis.

He was finally able to gain confidence.

‘Fucked.’

“Your Holiness, your complexion is not good. Is there something that is bothering you?”

This doesn’t work.

There were far more apostates and subversives within the Vatican than initially expected.

Of course, it was impossible to imagine that two forces that were at odds with each other had merged through a strange chemical reaction, but that alone was not enough to fully explain it. It was clear that someone had touched it.

To say that it was Henry’s work was that he had been busy fighting battles until recently, and there was no way that someone within the Vatican would not have noticed it.

A person who can compete with him while still having the power to influence the Holy See. If the scope was narrowed this far, there were only a few names that could come up.

And my head, which was spinning furiously, soon came to a reasonable conclusion.

“… Count Canossa!”

“Yes?”

“Yes, he betrayed me!”

There were signs that they were blocking the movement of troops in the mountains with their bodies.

However, the reason I left him alone was because, considering his temperament, I thought this kind of passive resistance would be the end.

But what if the premise was wrong in the first place?

Henry, who crossed the mountain range, will arrive at the Holy See with a free pass, and if he does so, he faces the risk of having to deal with the Count of Canossa’s attack as well.

Sure enough, not long after, the emperor led his army and camped outside the city gate. Count Canossa didn’t even pretend to stop this.

The soldiers standing guard swallowed dry saliva. I knew it, but the feeling was bound to be different from seeing it in person.

In fact, if it were an ordinary siege, it would be like fighting to the death, but the difference from other sieges is that there is no separate army to come to help.

The reality of having to fend off that army without any allies and with only what we had was overwhelming.

However, unlike them, who had made up their own minds, the city was half in chaos.

You could say it was a self-inflicted disaster, but for the people who were living there safely, it was something closer to a natural disaster that struck out of nowhere.

While only a few nobles were pumping out dopamine at the fact that the Emperor Coin they had invested in had been paid off, the Pope, who had been secluded under the pressure of pleasureless responsibilities, was slowly coming to terms with reality.

Sell the future and buy the present.

If this method can be overcome, what else can’t?

Is there “.”

“Yes, Your Holiness. Is there anything you need?”

“Send this letter to Robert in the south.”

Robert. Robert is cunning and foxy.

He was a duke from a barbarian tribe located in the nearby south.

And it was virtually the only power available right now.

okay. They are barbarians.

The priest, who was only listening, soon couldn’t believe his ears and asked cautiously.

“His Holiness Hana, if you really do that, your political standing will be-”

“No, my decision is firm.”

I fully understand that if I try to live an ugly life like this, my religious authority and political standing will fall.

But you can only enjoy it once you’re alive, so what’s the use of it all if you’re dead?

The Pope was not the type of person willing to die to protect his honor, nor was he an adventurous person.

“1 o’clock is urgent, so tell them to leave as soon as possible.”

And at the moment when the messenger went out through the small door in the corner of the castle wall, a lecture was taking place in front of the castle gate.