Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 368: People cannot learn any lessons from history

Today, the situation in Trebizond is gradually becoming clearer.

They can be roughly divided into three forces that are fighting each other here.

First of all, there are the nobles in Trebizond. They occupied a large area of ​​manors in the Cardia military district and were the original owners of this place, but each of them showed the ugly appearance of insects.

The second was the Komnenos brothers, who had the support of the Kingdom of Georgia. The Georgian army under their command was strong and full of ambition to seize a country.

The third force was the Paulician peasants led by Gellis and the foreign intervention forces.

As for the current situation, due to the secret agreement between Garys and David Soslan, the latter two forces have begun to merge and form a coalition without Ioannis's knowledge.

But even if Ioannis himself did not know it, he was still uneasy and felt that he would not be able to deal with the Komnenos brothers.

Trebizond, or the Cardia Military Region, is not a place with strong military power since ancient times.

Compared with its military achievements, it is more famous for its economy, both now and in the future.

As a transit point from land to the Black Sea on the northern line of the Silk Road, Trebizond costs a lot of money but has no soldiers.

It is rumored that the Cardia Military District General had as many as 10,000 troops under his command at his peak.

But that was just a rumor and did not appear in the official battle.

As for the historical records about the Empire of Trebizond, they show that at its peak, the Empire had only 2000 soldiers.

An "empire" has two thousand soldiers and horses, and even a great noble under the old Kingdom of Jerusalem can mobilize more troops than this number.

It is also recorded that in a battle, the Empire of Trebizond divided its troops into two parts, one of which consisted of about 600 people. After the loss of these 600 people, the empire suffered heavy losses.

This is the real history. There is no systematic hierarchy of power, and all kinds of "weird things" often appear.

This also means that now, the 2000 troops led by the Komnenos brothers have become an enemy that the Trebizond Military District can hardly deal with even if it puts all its efforts into it.

Therefore, although Ioannis made an impassioned speech at the meeting, forcing many nobles at the meeting to swear an oath to the gods to defend their city.

But many people, as always, were prepared for both situations. In addition to donating money and manpower, mobilizing troops from their respective lands to begin gathering, and some people tried to establish contact with Alexius brothers in private.

It was in this environment that Ioannis himself, after a great inner struggle, wrote a letter and sent it to the West.

He knew that by doing so he would almost certainly be cursed, but nobility is the epitaph of the noble and meanness is the epitaph of the mean. When he truly held the power of the military region, no one could criticize his decision to his face.

Thus, the Count of Champagne, or the Romanian Emperor Theobald, who was far away in Constantinople, received a letter from the envoy from Trebizond a week later.

……

My name is Theobald, a count of the House of Blois in France. The House of Blois was founded in 1025 and inherited the earldoms of Blois, Chartres and others in 1152.

I, Theobald III, was born in 1179. My father was Henry I, Count of Champagne, and my mother was Marie, Princess of France. My grandmother was Eleanor of Aquitaine. So my mother was actually the half-sister of Richard the Lionheart, and I was Richard's nephew.

Although I was exceptionally noble from the moment I was born, I was destined to live a life of luxury.

But I never imagined that one day I would become the master of Constantinople and be crowned Emperor of Romania.

But the Lord, it was the Lord's arrangement that made all this a reality.

Even though Romania is now divided, I seem to see the possibility of restoring the glory of Rome.

After all, not long after he ascended the throne, a letter came from the Cardia Military Region.

[To His Majesty the Most Honorable, Most Glorious, and Most Favored Emperor Theobald:]

[I am Ioannis, the governor of the Cardia Military Region of Trebizond, a loyal minister of the Empire, and a humble servant at the feet of the Virgin Mary and the Son of God. I write to you with the utmost confidence. I hope this letter can reach your hands. May God's grace always be with you, drive away the harm of heresy, and establish true peace and order in this eastern land.]

[Trebizond, this is where the remnants of the empire at the end of Asia live. The city walls are still there, the churches are still there, and although the former glory has been eroded by the wind, we still hold high the banner of Christ and have never abandoned the legitimacy of Constantine.]

[Now, with foreign races eyeing us and heretics surrounding us, the Georgians are pretending to be "Komnenos" and using the blood of the prince to seduce the people, in an attempt to usurp the territory that we have guarded for generations.]

[The army is small and the generals are few. Although I have been organizing the army day and night and sworn to fight the bandits at the city gates, Trebizond is not a place where we can fight for a long time. It is true that our will has not been lost, but our bodies are limited. We can bleed but we cannot stop helping. If we do not get help, this place will fall into the hands of the barbarians, the church will be trampled by cattle and sheep, and the altar will be defiled by the bandits.]

【Based on this, I, Ioannis, with the faith of Christ, beg Your Majesty to lend me a helping hand, with the honor of chivalry and the name of the cross, to help me so that the East can see light again.】

[If Your Majesty really sends reinforcements, it will be the will of God descending on the northern shore of Asia Minor. At that time, I will regard the land of Trebizond as Your Majesty's vassal and pay tribute every year to show my sincerity. I am willing to open the Black Sea trade route to become a gateway for merchants from Latin states to travel east and west. In the name of the Catholic Church, I will repair the temple, expel heretics, and help Your Majesty spread the light of God.]

[If my words of asking for help are against etiquette, I hope Your Majesty will understand my embarrassment. Although the East is far away, the heart of the cross is not far away; although the blood is different, we kneel before the same altar. God, I will swear for this, offer the city, and the rest of my life, and I only hope that Christ will not perish on this shore! ]

[May God bless your Majesty, grant you wisdom and strength, so that your Majesty's flag will fly high in the wind of the Black Sea! ]

In the Name of the Lord

[Respectfully presented by Ioannis, Governor of the Cardia Military Region]

When he saw the letter, Theobald's eyelids twitched and his lips opened slightly. He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

He always felt that this thing seemed to have happened once, but why did it happen again?

Even he couldn't help but sigh: People cannot learn any lessons from history, even though this happened less than half a year ago.

Perhaps this is the Lord's arrangement.

All we can say is that the Lord is omniscient and omnipotent, that the Lord has arranged the fate of everything, and that He will inevitably push him to the position of the Lord of Rome's revival.

……

(End of this chapter)