Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 790 The Divide of Bohemia by the Holy Roman Empire and Poland
Tang Sai'er's plan was that once the enemy made a large-scale mobilization, Li Li's troops should rush over as soon as possible, so as not to let the enemy use their superior mobile forces to move their own forces. Instead, they should take the initiative to send a portion of their troops to a position that the enemy had to pay attention to, thereby pinning them down there.

Of course, at this point, the Polish-Lithuanian allied forces had more than one option. Leli's troops, due to their limited mounted combat skills, opted to use their mounts for mobility before engaging in foot combat. While this allowed the soldiers to better utilize their fighting abilities and improved the stability of the ranks, it reduced their mobility. If they did not wish to engage in battle, the allied forces could choose to retreat voluntarily.

However, the allied forces were clearly unwilling to simply abandon their chosen starting position. Moreover, although Le Li's force numbered over two thousand, which seemed like a considerable number, their weaponry was only rudimentary; even their mounts were a mess, clearly intended to be cannon fodder. Therefore, the allied forces opted to first besiege them, attempting to eliminate this portion of the force.

Lili and his men were originally positioned slightly to the right of the cavalry formation. To their right, and on the far side of the formation, were over a thousand cavalrymen from various local garrisons; to their left were Bohemian cavalrymen recruited along the way, including surrendered Grail War nobles and Prague cavalrymen forcibly "hired" by Tang Sai'er after being captured. These men were the most numerous, forming two massive wedge formations; further to their left was the main royal cavalry force, personally led by Tang Sai'er. To Tang Sai'er's left were the few hundred riders from the Tabor faction brought by Prokop earlier. Although few in number, they connected with Tang Sai'er and the main infantry formation, forming a separate array.

Although the number of people seems large overall, their skill levels vary greatly. Even the group led by Tang Sai'er comes from diverse backgrounds.

Those who followed her from the east were all veterans who had fought their way through countless battles, their combat effectiveness highly reliable. Others were soldiers recruited by Zhu Wenkui and Princess Ma over the years, who worked and trained near Dadu (Beijing). While it might sound like the kind of laborers who worked for officers until wartime, reminiscent of European or Song Dynasty practices, their actual work was arranged by Zhu Wenkui. Some became apprentices in industries like iron smelting and construction, learning relevant knowledge; others directly tended horses for the Imperial Guard, learning breeding and equine care from officials at government horse farms; still others were simply hired by Guo Kang, Tuo Huan, and others—essentially an experimental force organized specifically for testing new weapons before they received official appointments and where direct military involvement was inconvenient. Their role was always that of the Wu Prince's training force, and their combat effectiveness was already quite high.

However, there was another group who hadn't undergone much training. They were called the Prince's Direct Subordinates simply because Zhu Wenkui's forces were too small at the time, and he needed manpower to fill his already insufficient ranks, so they were all assigned to Tang Sai'er. Their combat effectiveness was questionable. Tang Sai'er hadn't dared to bring them along when she tried to charge into battle before…

The situation is similar for the other routes as well.

The military households of the garrison in Bohemia and the surrounding areas were generally of relatively high quality. This was because, during the Wu Kingdom's household registration process, a group of hereditary military households were established, following the Ming system. However, due to the unique circumstances of Europe, these hereditary military households were essentially local knights, and their superiors were generally their lords. The only difference was that there were more formalized procedures, such as assessments and intensive training. Therefore, the combat effectiveness of these garrison cavalry was quite reliable, which is why they were assigned to the far right, responsible for guarding against the enemy and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Those caught in the middle were less controllable. Many of the cavalrymen here were not Wu Fan's subordinates or sympathizers of the Taborites; many had been Grail Wars or even Catholic defenders just two weeks prior. However, Tang Sai'er recruited people along the way. Anyone with a fighting spirit, and not the kind of fanatical believer who would risk their life to fight "heretics," was forcibly brought in.

She preached to everyone that the Hussites were the Hussites, and the Ming Dynasty was the Ming Dynasty; the two were not bound together. On the contrary, the imperial court was the true universal organization, its authority above all religious sects, and therefore it did not care about differences in faith and ritual. If any church members committed wrongdoing or exploited the people, they would be punished according to the regulations for dealing with corrupt officials. Because the imperial court did not oppose any particular religious sect, but rather the phenomenon of corruption itself.

At her suggestion, Zhu Wenkui and others actually held several public trials and executed a number of bishops, priests, and abbots who had abused religious taxes. In addition, they had Jessica send troops to escort officials to Hussite territory for investigation, and as a result, they actually caught several priests who had embezzled funds and misappropriated community funds. In accordance with the custom of the special period, they were all sentenced to death.

After these matters were resolved, many people from various factions switched their support to Zhu Wenkui, feeling that he was very fair and truly effective in solving problems. Even within the Catholic Church, some mid- to upper-level clergy advocated for him to be invited to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

The current situation is clear: neither Wenceslaus nor Sigismund is capable of resolving the various internal conflicts in Bohemia. Just a few months ago, Sigismund repeatedly assured everyone that he was fully prepared and would intervene to resolve the decades-long schism that has plagued the Church and the entire Catholic world in Europe. However, after his actions, it's uncertain whether the Roman Catholic Church can be reconciled, while the Bohemian Church is on the verge of collapse…

In contrast, Zhu Wenku, the "Little King of Wu," has made a clear statement: First, he defeated the Prague army, thus giving him the power to adjudicate; second, he is targeting all corruption indiscriminately, not just any church, thus legitimizing his judgment; and finally, his court contains both key Hussite members and Catholics from France, Italy, and various states within the Holy Roman Empire, providing channels of communication and making his adjudication feasible. Having achieved these three points, he has made a near-perfect choice.

In Europe, the Catholic Church is a very vibrant organization. Whenever it faces internal or external challenges, members of the Church step forward to try and push for reform. Although it constantly promotes its image of "adhering to tradition," the Church has never lacked change, being far more flexible than many secular regimes; otherwise, it probably wouldn't have lasted this long. When faced with challenges from Protestant denominations like the Hussites, it's commonplace for them to immediately implement corresponding measures and carry out "anti-Protestant Protestant reforms."

Therefore, some people quickly began calling for a change of perspective. They argued that the Church's crisis had two parts: one was the deep division caused by the power struggles and unscrupulous infighting within the upper echelons of the Vatican; the other was the excessive exploitation of the people, leading believers to question the sanctity of the Church and its clergy, which was the main reason for their defection to the Hussites. These two factors, one from top to bottom and the other from bottom to top, were eroding the Church's foundation.

Now, the Little Wu King proposed a method that only opposed corrupt clergy without questioning the Church itself. It didn't dwell on the current clamor of ritual issues and doctrinal disputes, but directly addressed the root of the problem. For the Church, there was no better option. Seeing the positive results, Tang Sai'er dispatched troops to various regions, requisitioning soldiers and provisions while simultaneously promoting her promise and approach to "solving the problem." Furthermore, she took this opportunity to specifically seek out a group of relatively reputable Catholic Church members, expressing her hope that they would help negotiate with the Church and cooperate in cleaning up the corrupt officials within its ranks. This would not only benefit the people and the Ming Dynasty but also be a good option for the Church itself, essentially helping them complete their reforms.

This appeal was attractive to some clergy, but it also led to a rapid and serious split within the Catholic Church in Bohemia.

The reason is simple: many high-ranking clergy members, led by the Archbishop of Prague, are indeed very corrupt. The problem here isn't just the indiscriminate issuance of indulgences; it's that they embezzle and intercept indulgences issued by the Pope, then reissue their own printed indulgences, pocketing all the profits. Even if the current Vatican, rife with bribery, threats of violence, and power-for-profits, were to manage them, it's unlikely they would forgive them.

In their view, the Little Wu King wasn't targeting the church or the more disciplined priests; he was merely demanding the elimination of some corrupt officials. The only problem was that they themselves were the corrupt officials who needed to be purged. They didn't care whether it was good for the church or not, but if the Ming army attacked, given their reputations and past records, they'd probably need as many heads as the Hydra to be punished. How could they possibly agree to that?

Everyone in the Wu Prince's Mansion was aware of this situation. When Tang Sai'er sent people everywhere to spread the word that she wanted to negotiate, even Jessica and Prokopf complained that the girl was probably too young and didn't consider that these high-ranking priests themselves knew best who was embezzling and how much. Calls for reforming the church had been going on for a long time, so why hadn't they stopped it before? Therefore, her actions were bound to be ineffective.

However, Tang Sai'er remained unmoved and continued to spread the word, as if afraid that people wouldn't know. She even supported some priests to debate with the archbishop and others, claiming that she would persuade them to accept the reform plan.

As a result, the more the two sides debated, the more the church reformers realized that they could no longer carry out reforms within the existing church organization. This was because the parish leadership had already decided that this was a death sentence for them and was determined not to back down.

They pinned their hopes on Sigismund, and even the Poles, hoping these men would quickly bring troops to protect their interests. Internally, they severely suppressed reformist discourse. At first, they pretended to address the Hussites first; but after receiving numerous suggestions, they suddenly broke down, forbidding anyone from mentioning these topics, even historical events like the Cluny reforms—it's unclear why they were so sensitive, making even church forefathers taboo subjects.

In the end, Don Sai'er continued to sponsor the priests, providing them with travel permits and living expenses, saying she wanted them to advocate for resolving church reform issues through peaceful negotiations. But the priests disagreed, feeling it was a complete waste of time—because by then, the diocesan leadership no longer cared what the reformist priests' motives were; if they mentioned church corruption, they would resort to violence, and they were even unwilling to engage in debates.

At this point, the two sides had essentially broken off relations. Many clergy realized that if the archbishops could summon Sigismund to physically eliminate the Huss, they could do the same to eliminate those who opposed corruption. Rumors circulated that the archbishops were privately reassuring their confidants, telling them not to be afraid, and that when the Poles arrived, these most devout believers would take action and kill the corrupt elements within the church—those clergy who demanded reforms. Then, no one would dare cause trouble.

The veracity of this matter is unlikely to be verified in the short term, but the reformist clergy almost universally believe that the archbishop was indeed capable of such an act. Therefore, they have taken action, deciding not to remain passive but to bring the matter into the open, publicly contacting the Ming Dynasty court, organizing believers to welcome the propaganda and conscription teams sent by Tang Sai'er, and challenging the diocese leadership.

Seeing the growing number of demonstrators, the Archbishop of Prague hurriedly sent proclamations threatening that once the rebellious peasants were wiped out by the army, those within the Church who sympathized with them would be held accountable, so everyone should behave themselves. However, this threat no longer intimidated the enraged priests. Priests from several southern dioceses also jointly issued an open letter, saying that their army was not incapable of fighting either, and who were they trying to scare? The two sides thus completely broke off relations.

In addition, Tang Sai'er sent people around to spread rumors, using the Bohemian parish's own admission that they wanted to use the Poles to suppress local resistance, to warn the locals. She specifically reminded everyone that the Poles were not there for debate; on the contrary, the nobles there would not have come for nothing.

Previously, a major problem for Bohemia was the encroachment of German nobles who sought to seize land. Now, if the Poles were to arrive as well, the Kingdom of Bohemia might not even have a reason to exist, as it would undoubtedly be divided between the Holy Roman Empire and Poland. To avoid the worst-case scenario, they should quickly provide food and troops, and work together to drive them away first.

The propaganda was very effective. Many priests and minor nobles who were still observing also joined the army and became part of Tang Sai'er's ranks.

(End of this chapter)