Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 231 The Pope was terrified and offered up a pure and beautiful lamb!

Although the Mongol army was exhausted after capturing Baghdad, the window of opportunity to destroy the True God Alliance was extremely valuable.

The nations of the True God Church still possess vast territories and a population of over 20 million. Given time, it would not be difficult for them to reorganize their armies.

Therefore, after only ten days of rest, the main Mongol army left Baghdad and entered the Syrian region. Wherever they went, they proclaimed their punishment of the True God Alliance and exhibited the corpse of the True God king who had been skinned alive.

This move had a very good effect. Wherever the Mongol army went, many cities surrendered without a fight, including the famous West Asian city of Damascus.

Zhao He was naturally very happy about this, after all, this place would be his territory from now on. Damascus is a populous and prosperous city, and the famous Damascus sword is named after the city of Damascus.

However, Aleppo (later Syria's first city) remained stubborn and refused to surrender.

Let's grant their wish.

Because the city lacked regular troops, the Mongol army didn't even bother to build siege equipment, and breached the city after five days of continuous attacks.

All the men and elderly in Aleppo were killed; only about 100,000 young women, children, and artisans survived.

Subsequently, the Mongol army marched into Jerusalem.

At this time, Jerusalem had already been ceded to the Europeans by the Ayyubid dynasty. According to the agreement between the two sides, the Romans were not allowed to station troops there, and only a small number of Templar Knights were allowed to maintain order in the city.

Therefore, the Mongol army captured Jerusalem without shedding a drop of blood.

At this point, the entire Syrian region was completely under the control of the Mongol army.

Then, there was no need for the 150,000 troops to move together.

After deliberation, Zhao He led his troops to attack Egypt. The tentacles of the Chinese nation had finally reached the African continent.

Batu and Möngke attacked the Sultanate of Rum.

Guyuk and Mu'atugan attacked the Arabian Peninsula.

Meanwhile, news of the Battle of Baghdad reached other countries, shaking the world!
……

……

Inside the Basilica of St. John in Rome.

"After the Mongols have destroyed the countries of the True God religion, they will definitely send troops to Europe. It is only right and proper for us to send crusades to resist the Mongols now!"

"No! We have just fought a great battle, and our soldiers have suffered countless casualties. They desperately need rest. If we send a weakened army on an eastern expedition now, and are defeated by the Mongol army again, wouldn't everything be over?"

"The True God Cult has always been our greatest enemy! Wasn't it a good thing that they were wiped out by the Mongols?"

"What are you saying? We and the True God Cult worship the same deity!"

"If you ask me, even if the True God Alliance were wiped out by the Mongols, they wouldn't necessarily have to conquer Europe. The wealthy India also belongs to the True God nation, so why couldn't they march their army south?"

……

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, Philip II, King of France, Henry III, King of England, Andre II, King of Hungary… a total of eighty-seven powerful figures in Europe, were arguing and debating endlessly.

Initially, the True God Alliance sent envoys to Europe to inform them of the Mongol army's second westward expedition, demanding that Pope Gregory IX and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II cease the war and send a large army to support the European nations.
However, both sides have suffered countless casualties and are now locked in a fierce battle. How can the war be stopped so easily?

After both sides were exhausted from fighting and made peace, a fierce debate broke out over whether or not to support the countries of the True God Church.

This debate has been going on for two months, and the kings are still repeating the same things over and over again, without making a decision.

Although Pope Gregory IX was the nominal supreme ruler of Europe and possessed profound authority and influence, his direct military force was pitifully small, making it difficult for him to make decisions.

Furthermore, he didn't believe that the Mongol army of 150,000 men could really do anything to the countries of the True God Cult.

Are the nations of the true God so easy to conquer? Over the past century, the European nations have launched six Crusades, all ending in a draw. Even the recapture of Jerusalem was only achieved through negotiations by Frederick II.

Although the Mongol army was powerful, it did not send out its entire force this time.

Most importantly, their expedition was led by the eldest son of each Khan.

The church possesses numerous historical texts. These texts contain countless accounts of fathers being heroic and sons being cowardly and incompetent.

As for examples of grandfathers being unparalleled heroes, fathers being outstanding figures of their time, and grandsons being invincible warriors, there are none of them.

Mongolians are human beings too, how could they be an exception?

Genghis Khan was invincible, his sons were all heroes, and his son-in-law Zhao Shuo was even more invincible.

That should be the end of it.

Even if an omniscient and omnipotent God favors the Golden Family, surely He wouldn't allow their third generation to be so powerful again, right?
It is very likely that this second western expedition was the turning point that shattered the Mongols' reputation as invincible.

Therefore, Gregory IX was not in a hurry to make a decision. He even enjoyed the current situation: in the Basilica of St. John, he was high above, and monarchs from all over the world submitted to him and affectionately called him Papa.

However, at this moment—

dong dong dong~~
With a series of hurried footsteps, a cardinal rushed into the hall, his face full of anxiety, and said, "Something terrible has happened!"

"..."

The argument in the hall abruptly ceased, and all the European nobles turned to look at the cardinal.

Gregory IX frowned slightly and said, "Lorex, you are a venerable bishop of the Papacy, and you should respect your status and maintain your composure. Why are you so impatient and shouting?"

"But! It's truly terrible! The clear sky is about to be obscured by dark clouds, turning into a pitch-black night. A monstrous tide of blood is about to engulf Europe; no one will be spared!"

A very ominous premonition welled up in Gregory IX's heart, and he said in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on?"

"In Baghdad, the pearl of the East, the terrifying Mongol army annihilated the 300,000-strong coalition of the true gods in one fell swoop. They destroyed the Palace of Wisdom, and all the books within were thrown into the Tigris River, turning the water black. They slaughtered all the prisoners, and even skinned the captured kings alive. God! How could such cruelty exist on earth?"

Having said that, he held up a parchment scroll high and said, "Look, this is detailed military intelligence!"

"Quick! Let me see it!"

“Yes!” Gregory IX had thought that Lorx’s description was terrifying enough. However, after taking the parchment scroll, he discovered that the truth was even more terrifying than he had described.

This scroll also mentions a secret weapon of the Mongols—impetigo.

Zhao Shuo Khan of the Mongols invented a method called "smallpox inoculation." Anyone who was inoculated, whether Han or Mongol, would no longer contract pustular variolation.

The Mongol army deliberately spread impetigo, which greatly weakened the fighting power and demoralized the Allied Forces of the True God, thus making it so easy to annihilate the 300,000-strong army in Baghdad.

Oh, God!
Are you truly the God who sent this calamity to destroy us sinners?

Otherwise, why would Zhao Shuohan have found a solution so easily to such a terrifying epidemic?

But your people are suffering from such a terrible disease?

In addition, Gregory IX even considered a very terrifying possibility: if Zhao Shuo could cure impetigo, could he also cure other plagues?
There are far too many terrifying plagues in the world. If the Mongols were to spread them intentionally, how would the European countries resist them?
and also!

How come the eldest sons of the Five Khans performed no worse than their fathers?

Three generations have passed, and there's not a single sign of decline!
At this moment, Gregory IX felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone!
In fact, it wasn't just Pope Gregory IX.

When these European nobles saw the parchment scroll, their faces turned pale, their breathing became heavy, and some even trembled.

Although they had experienced countless wars before, in this era, both internal Roman Catholic wars and their wars against the true God were governed by rules. If a noble was killed on the battlefield, there was nothing anyone could do. But if they were defeated and captured, they could be ransomed for a huge sum of money, and their lives were absolutely not in danger.

However, it is now clear that the Mongols do not follow this rule at all!

All the captured rulers of the True God Cult were skinned alive.

If the True God Alliance couldn't defeat the Mongols, then the Roman Catholic Alliance would probably be a complete disaster too!

It seems that what Nallox said was indeed not an exaggeration!

The clear sky is about to be obscured by dark clouds, turning into night. A monstrous tide of blood is about to engulf Europe; no one will be spared!

Inside the main hall, a somber atmosphere descended, and silence reigned.

After a long silence, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, finally spoke: "Gentlemen, the strength of the Mongol army has indeed far exceeded our expectations. However, this is also proof that God favors us! Think about it, if we hadn't debated this and had directly sent troops to Baghdad, wouldn't we have run right into the Mongol's powerful army!"

Hey!
King Henry III of England sighed and said, "That being said, the main force of the True God Cult has been destroyed. The True God Cult's nations will likely be completely under the control of the Mongols within two or three years. Next, it will be our European nations. How should we deal with this?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the map of Mongolia hanging in the church. The Pope's map was already terrifying enough; if all the countries of the True God Church were also colored red, the combined size of all European countries would probably not even reach thirty percent of Mongolia's size. Such a stark contrast filled him with despair.

Frederick II said, “I think we have three things to do now.”

Although Gregory IX had always disliked Frederick II, he still couldn't wait to ask, "Which three things?"

Frederick II said, “First, you should write a letter in the name of the Pope to the Mongol Khan Ögedei. Tell him that everything in this world was created by God. All Christians are God’s children. When he attacks the countries of the true gods, he must ensure the safety of the lives and property of God’s children.”

Gregory IX was greatly disappointed and said, "What's the use of this?"

Frederick II said, “On the surface, it is indeed useless. However, the more we fear the Mongols, the less we can refuse to make contact with them. When our envoys arrive in Mongolia, they can investigate the customs, military system, and relationships among the nobility to see if there is anything we can use.”

"What about the second thing?"

"The second thing, of course, is to further strengthen the unity within my Europe. I hope that, under your witness, all nobles will sign another treaty: that no other country shall be attacked before the Mongols are completely defeated, otherwise it would be a betrayal of the glory of God!"

Gregory IX felt a burning shame on his face. A similar agreement had already been made. When Frederick II launched his eastern campaign, Gregory IX had stabbed him in the back, breaking the agreement first.

Gregory IX nodded and said, "Alright. And the third thing?"

Frederick II said, "Thirdly, given the current strength of Europe, it is unrealistic to fight the Mongols head-on. Therefore, we should find another way, such as changing the Mongols' beliefs."

“How can we change the Mongols’ faith?” Gregory IX frowned. “This intelligence report clearly states that the countries of the True God Church are willing to submit if the Mongols convert. However, the Mongols do not consider this at all.”

Frederick II shook his head slightly and said, "The Mongol-religious nations are the losers, yet they are forcefully proposing conditions for the Mongols to convert. Of course, that's impossible. However, we can take another approach. In recent years, because of the Mongol army's threat, I have become very interested in the historical events that have occurred in the East."

"There is a story about the Naiman prince Kuchlug, who originally believed in shamanism. After he conquered the Western Liao Kingdom, he fell in love with a stunningly beautiful woman from the Western Liao and ordered the entire country to convert to Buddhism."

Gregory IX's eyes lit up, and he said, "You mean, if there were such a woman in the West who could bewitch the Mongol Khan and make him convert to the true religion, then all the Mongols could be converted to my true religion?"

Frederick nodded and said, “That’s a fair assessment. Europe has a large population. You can issue a decree to select some pure and beautiful lambs and send them to the Mongols. Let them, out of their piety towards God, spare no expense to persuade the Mongol nobles to convert to Christianity.”

"A Mongolian nobleman? Not the Great Khan of Mongolia?"

"Of course not the Great Khan of the Mongols. That Great Khan Ögedei killed his younger brother Tolui, which greatly diminished his prestige, and he even issued an edict of self-reproach. Even if he were to convert, he probably wouldn't be of much use to us."

"Then you mean..."

"The eldest sons of the five Mongol Khans must all be sent! We don't know which Mongol nobles are steadfast in their beliefs and difficult to change. However, there will always be some who will be captivated by these pure and beautiful lambs. If all else fails, we can persuade the Mongols to change their strategy and temporarily stop attacking our European countries, instead turning south to attack the Delhi Sultanate in India."

"Of course, the most beautiful lamb should be given to Zhao Shuo Khan. He is invincible and known as the scourge of God. If we could bring this scourge of God to our side, it would truly be a blessing for Europe!"

Gregory IX looked at the other European nobles and asked, "What do you think?"

"Sure! For the sake of peace in Europe, what's a few beauties?"

"We in Europe have many pure and beautiful lambs!"

"That's it!"

“Devoted nuns should also be included in the selection!”

"For their beliefs, what are they afraid to sacrifice?"

……

The European nobles looked at each other, then readily agreed.

They desperately wanted the Mongols to convert.

At least we're all God's children, so we won't be skinned alive after defeat, right?

(End of this chapter)