Ch.259Caucasus (5)

# Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I was letting out a deep sigh.

“Everyone, please calm down.”

“How can we be calm? An assassin came after Your Majesty’s life!”

The English envoy’s outcry was countered by the French envoy.

“What nonsense. Do you have any proof that we sent him?”

“Marshal has already extracted all information about the assassin.”

“Isn’t that just a one-sided claim from England?”

“Are you questioning Marshal’s honor?”

As the argument between the envoys intensified, the Holy Roman Emperor had no choice but to rise.

“Enough! What do you think you’re doing in my presence!”

At the emperor’s lion-like roar, the envoys had to step back.

However, the faces of those seated at the table still showed no signs of their excitement subsiding.

“Please calm yourselves. Now, with infidels right before us, should we be divided amongst ourselves?”

“Of course not. But we cannot stand alongside these treacherous French.”

“Don’t make false accusations.”

“So both countries’ armies will return home?”

“Yes.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then instead of withdrawing your armies, how about having just your kings return home and accepting mediation?”

“By mediation, you mean…”

“I can provide mediation under the supervision of the Holy Roman Empire.”

At the emperor’s words, both the English and French envoys made sour faces.

And for good reason—this was clearly an attempt at intervention.

While it was called mediation, it was clearly the emperor’s attempt to bring the kings of England and France under his influence.

“England refuses.”

“France also refuses. And isn’t there the issue of the Low Countries between the Holy Roman Empire and France?”

When the Low Countries were mentioned, the emperor cleared his throat and feigned ignorance.

The Flanders region belonged to the Holy Roman Empire but was heavily influenced by France.

This region was a strategic transportation hub where merchant ships from France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, and North Sea nations passed through.

Whoever controlled this area could maximize profits from North Sea trade networks like wool and herring trade.

For the emperor, who was spending excessive defense funds on the Crusade, this revenue-generating region was naturally coveted.

“Ahem… I understand both countries’ positions, but what will happen to the occupied territories when your troops withdraw?”

To the emperor’s question, the English side spoke up.

“We plan to appoint William Marshal as king of the occupied territories.”

Richard had already designated William Marshal as the king of Cyprus and Syria.

He judged that even if the English army returned home, Marshal had the ability to defend these lands to some extent.

“I know Marshal’s reputation well. That’s England’s plan… what about France?”

“France has similar plans.”

“Isn’t that insufficient for France? We could manage those lands on your behalf.”

The emperor was deliberately trying to keep France engaged.

Noticing this intention, the envoy shook his head and answered firmly.

“If it’s insufficient, we can ask the Mongol king, who is the brother-in-law of the French king.”

From Philip II’s perspective, he couldn’t entrust his territories to the Holy Roman Empire, which was eyeing French lands.

It would be like leaving fish in the care of a cat.

So it was far better to entrust them to Temujin, who had come from afar and was the only blood relative of Agnes, making him family to the French king.

“You trust the Mongol king?”

“Yes. He is a devout Christian, a fact acknowledged by the Pope himself. Moreover, he is the brother-in-law of the French king, making him practically family.”

The French envoy’s words were accurate.

Temujin was such a devout Christian that the Pope had sent a letter personally acknowledging him.

To be precise, the letter was sent to Gurkhan, not Temujin, but that was a minor detail.

However, as Temujin was Gurkhan’s son, his faith had never once been questioned.

Additionally, he had always led from the front lines in battle, earning recognition even from the emperor.

In any case, the emperor realized through this meeting that neither England nor France cared about who was behind the assassin.

He quickly understood that it would be difficult to persuade them further.

“Given both sides’ situations, I have no choice. Then the Holy Roman Empire will also withdraw its troops.”

Both envoys nodded at the emperor’s words.

With French and English forces returning home, there was no reason for the Holy Roman Empire to continue fighting at the forefront.

With England and France retreating, the Third Crusade, which had mobilized the largest army among all Crusades, temporarily reached a stalemate.

* * *

After the meeting, the emperor sat down, appearing tired.

He gestured for his advisor to approach.

“Did you confirm it again?”

“Yes, it seems they were preparing to return even before this incident occurred.”

“Hmph.”

The emperor sighed in frustration.

This was because he had secured physical evidence that England and France had been planning to return for some time.

That evidence was none other than cooking utensils.

“Even before the assassination issue arose, cooking utensils from the French and English armies were disappearing sequentially.”

“Indeed. Clearly, both countries had no intention of continuing this war.”

The emperor nodded as he said this.

“Wouldn’t it be appropriate for Your Majesty to return as well?”

“I am the Emperor of the Roman Empire. Would it be proper for someone like me to return?”

“Of course not. However, with England and France returning, there’s no reason for Your Majesty to remain alone.”

The emperor nodded at his advisor’s words.

With two major countries announcing their return, there weren’t many who could criticize if he, the emperor, also decided to return.

“But the Mongols trouble me.”

“The Mongols, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. The Crusader King is no ordinary man.”

His administration ensuring no supply problems.

His strategic execution despite leading from the front lines.

His diplomacy in making the French king an ally through marriage, and so on.

Temujin, accomplishing all this at such a young age, was no ordinary person.

The experienced emperor instinctively felt that the Mongol king would become a significant threat to them.

“Leaving such a predator alone is not a good decision.”

“But it doesn’t seem wise for Your Majesty to remain alone near such a predator either.”

The emperor nodded at his advisor’s remark.

“Those foolish English and French.”

The three of them together could have prevented the Mongols from acting rashly.

But England, blinded by immediate gains, chose to return.

And France was under the delusion that they could tame the predator through marriage.

So they made the decision to trust the predator and return.

Thus, the emperor was left alone as the other two departed.

With two trainers gone, it was clear what the predator would do.

“Fortunately, Ayyub is an excellent beast tamer.”

Salah al-Din was a renowned general recognized even in the Christian world.

It was inconceivable that he would be defeated by a young predator.

“It’s a strange situation where we must trust our enemy… but there’s no choice.”

The emperor rose, seemingly having made up his mind.

“The Holy Roman Empire will also return home.”

* * *

Upon receiving the report, Temujin smiled with satisfaction.

“Not just England and France, but the Holy Roman Empire is returning too. Should I call this killing three birds with one stone rather than two?”

“There you go with your strange wordplay again.”

Jamukha scolded his anda with these words.

Temujin shrugged and looked at the messenger.

“When do you think they’ll leave?”

“They’ll likely depart within two months at the latest.”

“How much military strength will they leave behind?”

“Probably not more than 3,000 men.”

When the number 3,000 was mentioned, Jamukha made an incredulous expression.

“What can they hope to defend with 3,000? They couldn’t stop even Ayyub’s subordinate generals, let alone Ayyub himself.”

Jamukha had frequently encountered Ayyub alongside Temujin.

He was well aware of the man’s imposing presence, like a massive wall.

“It’s essentially the same as asking the Mongols to stop Ayyub.”

“Ha! They want to use us as shields?”

“That’s true. But this is what we wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

Temujin didn’t answer Jamukha’s question.

Instead, he gestured for Jebe to approach.

“You called, my lord?”

“How is Ayyub’s situation?”

“They also seem to have heard about the withdrawal of English, French, and Holy Roman Empire forces. They appear to be concentrating troops in Jerusalem for a major offensive.”

“What’s the size and composition of their forces?”

“About 80,000 troops.”

“Any unusual developments?”

“The sultan’s royal guard banners, which rarely appear on the battlefield, have been spotted.”

The ger became restless at Jebe’s words.

Even with the Mongol army’s excellence, it would be burdensome to face Ayyub’s total offensive alone.

“Shouldn’t we do something?”

Jamukha spoke to Temujin with worried eyes.

But Temujin remained motionless, seemingly deep in thought.

“Say something at least…”

“Quiet.”

At Temujin’s command, Jamukha had no choice but to close his mouth.

A long silence dominated the ger.

After some time, Temujin finally spoke.

“We will retreat as well.”

“Yes, that’s right. And when the English, French, and Holy Roman Empire forces return, we can attack again.”

Temujin shook his head at Jamukha’s words.

“This is just a temporary retreat.”

“What if we lose Damascus, which we worked so hard to conquer?”

“No, Ayyub won’t come that far. More precisely, he won’t be able to.”

“What do you mean?”

“He will die soon.”

Jamukha looked incredulous at Temujin’s words.

“Have you taken up astrology?”

“No.”

“Then how…”

“When Ayyub typically deploys tactics, he doesn’t concentrate in one place but prefers to attack the enemy with dispersed forces. And he doesn’t usually bring his royal guard.”

“You’re not seriously suggesting he’s going to die because he’s doing things he doesn’t normally do?”

“Exactly.”

Temujin nodded with a smile.

Hearing this, Jamukha could only close his eyes tightly and shake his head.

“Do you really think that makes any sense?”

“Of course I think it’s crazy too. But we only have two options: fight or don’t fight. And if we don’t fight, we can’t capture Egypt.”

“…”

“Then obviously we have to choose to fight, as you know. But…”

Temujin looked at everyone with a confident expression.

“We must fight wisely.”