Ch.196Eastern Roman Empire (1)

“Chilaun seems to be adapting well.”

While I was busy stirring up internal affairs in the Sultanate of Rum, Chilaun was diligently participating in naval training.

Munglig reported on this occasionally, and after about three months, he assessed that Chilaun was ready to be deployed in the field.

Three months?

I wondered if this was even possible for Chilaun, a Mongol who had never been to sea before.

So I asked Munglig a question.

“How is that possible?”

“It’s simple. I had him live on a ship for three months.”

“…”

“Now he says he gets seasick when he comes on land.”

I couldn’t help but curse Munglig as a madman in my mind.

His training methods were truly beyond harsh.

“Has anyone been injured?”

“Yes, many suffered during the first week, but they endured through camaraderie.”

“…”

I wished he hadn’t used the word “camaraderie” in this context.

It could lead to many misunderstandings.

“So what you’re saying is that they were able to endure by relying on each other.”

“Exactly, brother.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

It was truly a relief.

I didn’t think I needed to explain why.

“Anyway, it’s good that you’ve trained him well enough to deploy him directly to the battlefield.”

“Yes. And during this training, we’ve secured control over the Sultanate of Rum’s navy.”

I nodded at this.

One of the purposes of grooming Chilaun as a naval admiral was to secure control over the navy.

As I’ve mentioned before, the navy we were operating belonged to the Sultanate of Rum.

Because of this, there was no guarantee that they would follow our commands well.

For this reason, we had to devise countermeasures.

One of those measures was to place our own people in the Sultanate of Rum’s navy to completely control the command.

Chilaun had successfully carried out this plan of mine.

Thanks to him, we were able to secure definitive control over the Sultanate of Rum’s navy.

“Then we should now conduct amphibious landing operation drills with the entire army.”

“The… the entire army, you say?”

“Yes. If we could conquer the Byzantine Empire using Alexios, whom we received from the Sultan, that would be ideal, but if we fail, we’ll need to make a landing.”

If the enemy didn’t surrender to our justification, we would have no choice but to use force.

Since it was difficult to enter by land, we naturally had to conduct amphibious operations using the navy.

As I mentioned earlier, Constantinople was not an invincible fortress at this time.

During the Fourth Crusade, the defenses of the Golden Horn were breached, and the city fell.

We planned to follow the tactics used by Venice.

“But before that.”

Munglig tilted his head at my words.

I looked at Munglig and gave an order.

“We need to make contact with the Roman Pope.”

* * *

A man with the distinctive Mongol queue hairstyle walked alongside a Venetian merchant.

The clergy who saw them couldn’t help but be greatly surprised.

“So Prester John really does exist.”

“And to send an envoy like this…”

“I heard he subjugated the infidel Sultanate of Rum.”

The bishops whispered such things among themselves.

The Mongol envoy ignored the bishops’ words and continued forward.

Then a man dressed in purple made the sign of the cross and welcomed him.

“Welcome, brother.”

The Mongol envoy also made the sign of the cross.

The cardinal smiled at this sight.

“Thank you for your warm welcome.”

The cardinal nodded at the words translated by the Venetian merchant for the Mongol envoy.

“Thank you for answering the Father’s call and bringing a great army to save the Christian world in crisis.”

“Not at all. But where is the Father?”

The cardinal nodded at the Mongol envoy’s words.

And guided him to the reception room.

So the Mongol envoy arrived at the reception room.

After resting for about 10 minutes in a quality chair, an elderly Pope appeared.

“Welcome, brother.”

The Mongol envoy knelt on one knee and bowed.

The Pope smiled at this and extended the Fisherman’s Ring.

The Mongol envoy, seeming to know this European custom, kissed the Fisherman’s Ring.

Satisfied with his etiquette, the Pope smiled and guided him to his seat.

Seated, the Pope immediately addressed the Mongol envoy.

“I heard you defeated all the Persian infidels.”

“It was all thanks to the military achievements of His Majesty Prester John, who received God’s blessing.”

“Indeed, he is a devout king of the East.”

The Pope nodded.

He too had received intelligence that the Mongols had conquered all of Iran in just two weeks.

Because of this, Salah al-Din was almost at risk of being attacked from both sides.

However, the Mongols did not attack Egypt and instead passed through the Mashriq region and made the Sultanate of Rum, which was occupying the Anatolian Peninsula, formerly Byzantine territory, their vassal state.

The Pope had some regrets about this part.

However, looking at the overall picture, it essentially meant that the Crusaders’ supply lines became safer, so he didn’t bother to voice his regrets.

“So, what brings you here?”

“The reason I have come here on behalf of Gur Kagan, that is, Prester John, is because I have a request for Your Holiness.”

The Pope nodded at the Mongol envoy’s polite request.

It made sense, as Gur Kagan had also responded to the Pope’s request by leading a large army all the way to the distant West.

Therefore, from the Pope’s position, he naturally had to provide convenience to the Mongols.

“Speak. I will help if I can.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness. Then…”

The Mongol envoy bowed and took something out from his breast pocket.

The Pope’s secretary checked if there was poison in the letter before handing it to the Pope.

The Pope opened the letter.

And was greatly surprised.

“This is…”

“It is a letter from Gur Kagan to the Father.”

“Prester John is truly a chosen Christian of God. To write such an elegant letter in such refined Latin!”

The Pope couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was because the king of the East, of all people, had written a letter in Latin, a language with no connection to him.

Because of this, the Pope could only understand the Prester as truly being chosen by God.

Anyway, after giving such reverent praise, the Pope began to read the letter.

-To my dear Father,

Father, who fulfills God’s will on this earth.

I, Prester John and Gur Kagan, who follows the Lord’s will, send this letter with a request for the Father.

I have led a great army from the East, called by God and the Father, to punish the infidels.

I believe this is the will of heaven and the wish of all Christians.

I think Christians should show mercy, punish the wicked, and contribute to restoring fallen justice.

Therefore, I wish to save Rome, a neighboring country suffering in pain.

Currently, Rome is suffering greatly under the tyrant Andronikos I.

The tyrant does not care for his Christian people.

This is absolutely unacceptable as a fellow Christian.

My anger has reached heaven, and God has given me a revelation.

Thanks to this, I rescued Alexios II, who was believed to have been killed by Andronikos, from the infidel Sultanate of Rum.

He is a descendant of Manuel I and the legitimate heir to Rome.

I persuaded him, and he declared that he would convert to Roman Catholicism, the true faith.

As such, he is a true Christian and a genuine monarch moving forward under one faith.

In contrast, Andronikos is a false monarch, a tyrant, and a being who goes against the will of heaven.

The false monarch massacred people from Western Christian countries, including Sicily and France.

Through this, he denied and disgraced Roman Catholicism, the true religion.

I know that King William II of Sicily is recruiting an army to punish Andronikos for this.

Father.

Father, who spreads God’s will on this earth with fairness.

Please excommunicate Andronikos, who brutally murdered Christians, and let Alexios, the legitimate heir, rule Rome.

This is a letter sent with sincere heart as a fellow Christian.

Please make the right judgment and save the suffering Christians of Rome.

Prester John, Kagan of the Ulus,

Emperor of the Middle Kingdom, Gur Kagan Yesugei.

After reading this letter to the end, the Pope lamented.

It was because he felt as if he could feel the pain that the Christians of Constantinople were enduring.

Additionally, many Christians had died due to the tyrant’s massacre.

As John had said, Sicily was currently planning revenge against Andronikos for massacring their countrymen.

Knowing this well, the Pope couldn’t help but find Gur Kagan, who stepped forward to set Rome right, admirable.

“Prester John is a true Christian and a genuine monarch who follows the biblical teaching to care for his neighbors. I will accept his request and recognize Alexios as the legitimate Basileus of Rome, and on behalf of God, I will excommunicate Andronikos, the false Basileus.”

The Pope made this decision without hesitation in response to Gur Kagan’s request.

This was because, from the Pope’s perspective, this proposal was also beneficial for Roman Catholicism.

Constantinople was a bastion of Christianity, but it was ruled by those who followed a different doctrine.

Because of this, it had been difficult to project the influence of Roman Catholicism.

In this situation, Alexios, who was thought to be dead, appeared.

Additionally, he had converted from Eastern Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism at John’s suggestion, meaning that if Alexios became the Emperor of Rome, Roman Catholicism would once again exert influence throughout Europe.

This was in line with increasing the prestige and influence of the Pope, the head of Roman Catholicism.

So from the Pope’s position, he could only welcome John’s intention with open arms.

“And I will appoint John, the king of the East, as the guardian of Alexios II. So that John, on behalf of all Christians, can punish the tyrant and restore justice.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Holiness.”

The Mongol envoy bowed and expressed gratitude.

As a result, the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos was excommunicated.

Therefore, there would be no major issue even if Mongolia, another Christian country, attacked.