Chapter 911 - 135: Three Factions
After meeting with the Lords of the Crusaders, the tail of this infamous crusade has been thoroughly clarified.
As for the debt relationship between the Crusaders and the Venetians, Losa was too lazy to get involved. Although the Venetians were the masterminds behind this Crusade, they managed to keep their hands clean on the surface.
Losa also didn’t intend to fall out with the Venetians for the Greeks, even though he lost a division of the fleet and a Sea Dragon. The Venetians remain the overlords of the Mediterranean. The territory he laid out is already large enough that it’s not yet time to contest the Mediterranean with the Venetians.
He glanced at the map drawn by his own hand, not precisely but still present on the table. As the nobles of the Crusaders were yet to notice, he walked out of the council hall.
Boom—
Ladon, who had been waiting impatiently, was already bored out of his mind. Seeing Losa mount his back, he couldn’t wait to soar into the sky.
Only then did everyone awaken from their stupor and hurried out.
But they could only see the massive shadow of the Demon Dragon, receding farther in their vision.
Someone sighed lightly, "It seems His Majesty is still displeased with us."
"We are all sinners; may the Heavenly Father forgive us."
At this time, ordinary Crusader Soldiers, who had been waiting on the side for a long time, stepped forward to ask, "How exactly is His Majesty going to deal with us?"
"What should we do next?"
"By the way, Your Majesty Bella, it’s now impossible for us to attack Constantinople anymore. That doesn’t count as us breaking the contract, right? We won’t admit to the Venetians’ debt anymore."
They were already prepared to turn to the Empress and Losa. The Venetians could no longer strangle the lifeline of the Crusaders’ supply lines, so naturally, they did not intend to carry out the agreement initially reached with the Venetians.
Bella III was startled by this sudden questioning and hurriedly declared with integrity, "Of course. The Venetians incited us to commit such wrongdoings from behind the scenes; how can they have the face to demand debts from us?"
Bella III decisively decided to sell out his collaborators, as the reputation of the Venetians was never good anyway.
The people immediately cheered.
"His Majesty Bella has supported wiping out our debts. We can now continue our great crusade under the support of the Greek Queen and His Majesty Losa."
"His Majesty Losa showed us a bountiful land piled with spices, gold, gems, and ivory. The fertile soil there urgently awaits our conquest. Praise the Heavenly Father, praise the great King of the Crusaders!"
In the Venetian quarter, Captain Dandolo, who had just awoken, heard this tide-like cheer, nearly spitting a mouthful of blood.
Planning to catch his breath and relay the news back to Venice, Dandolo, was just about to sit up when a captain under him burst in briskly.
"Lord Dandolo, you’re finally awake!"
"Many of those Crusader thugs are shouting to punish the Demon that enchanted their hearts, launching an attack on our district!"
Dandolo felt his mind whirl, forcing himself to say, "Strengthen defenses and distribute all weapons from the ships to our citizens!"
After saying this, he collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
The three-headed Giant Dragon flew across the sky,
"Your Majesty Basileus, is everything going smoothly?"
"Smoothly."
The latter of the two paths, which is the conception of recruiting Crusaders to reclaim Asia Minor, actually
Although the Crusaders are a bunch of arrogant and fierce warriors, they’re also a bunch of country bumpkins who’ve never seen much of the world.
For the Empress, the cost of buying off these Frankish nobles is far lower than that of the Greek military heads and can balance against the Greek nobles.
...
"These days, the Turkic people in Asia Minor have been restless, trying to take control of all coastal areas still under the Empire’s control under Alslan’s lead."
Alslan has an alliance with Saladin; back when Losa fought against Saladin in the Holy Land, he often saw the Turkic cavalry under Saladin’s command, consisting of volunteer warriors and reinforcements sent by the King of Rum, Kilij Arslan.
"I didn’t expect the Empire’s situation to be so severe."
"Shouldn’t we have the Eldest Princess withdrawn as soon as possible?"
Grand Steward Rufinus thought the cause for all this was the failure to win the battle in Sicily quickly, trapping the Empire’s most elite Expedition Army and Eldest Princess Anna on Sicily. As long as the Eldest Princess returned, everything would be better.
"Can it be that the war, into which we’ve poured so much money and resources and were seeing the dawn of victory, must end so bleakly?"
Ragaya shook her head and said the hardest times had passed, and retreating now would be too foolish.
"I already know how to deal with the Turkic people. Rufinus, don’t bring up the idea of withdrawing Anna anymore."
There is an unspeakable matter—the massacre last night, though resulting in the death of two-thirds of the high nobles in Constantinople, actually stabilized the Empire’s situation further. Those nobles who originally intended to oppose her continued governance were now plagued by inheritance crises, unable to spare any attention.
"While Basileus hasn’t left Constantinople yet, there are still many things we need to do."
Though Ragaya was putting on a brave front, the power she wielded now appeared more formidable than ever in the eyes of the Greek nobles.
At this time, the Imperial Family should step forward as an arbitrator to arbitrate who more qualifies to inherit positions, draw various forces, and fill those power vacuums with her people.
Ragaya suddenly sighed; Pisistratus actually said rightly—he indeed gave her a generous gift.
There is an unspeakable matter—the massacre last night, though resulting in the death of two-thirds of the high nobles in Constantinople, actually stabilized the Empire’s situation further. Those nobles who originally intended to oppose her continued governance were now plagued by inheritance crises, unable to spare any attention.
"While Basileus hasn’t left Constantinople yet, there are still many things we need to do."
Though Ragaya was putting on a brave front, the power she wielded now appeared more formidable than ever in the eyes of the Greek nobles.
At this time, the Imperial Family should step forward as an arbitrator to arbitrate who more qualifies to inherit positions, draw various forces, and fill those power vacuums with her people.
Ragaya suddenly sighed; Pisistratus actually said rightly—he indeed gave her a generous gift.
There is an unspeakable matter—the massacre last night, though resulting in the death of two-thirds of the high nobles in Constantinople, actually stabilized the Empire’s situation further. Those nobles who originally intended to oppose her continued governance were now plagued by inheritance crises, unable to spare any attention.
"While Basileus hasn’t left Constantinople yet, there are still many things we need to do."
Though Ragaya was putting on a brave front, the power she wielded now appeared more formidable than ever in the eyes of the Greek nobles.
At this time, the Imperial Family should step forward as an arbitrator to arbitrate who more qualifies to inherit positions, draw various forces, and fill those power vacuums with her people.
Ragaya suddenly sighed; Pisistratus actually said rightly—he indeed gave her a generous gift.