A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"Yes, Grand Master."

As long as the message is passed back to Rome and the Pope issues an edict, Thomas will have the right to claim it, and the Byzantines' claim will be useless.

Thomas's memories from his previous life told him that "the emperor is the one who has the strongest army and the most powerful horses" is a unique concept in China, which focuses on being simple and unpretentious.

On the European side, the key is to make a claim.

Strictly speaking, it is not impossible without the right to claim, but having the right to claim and not having the right to claim are two different levels of difficulty.

If you are truly powerful enough, your fists are strong enough, and you are invincible, then others will have to admit defeat. The best example is Napoleon.

But how difficult was Napoleon? He was a single person repeatedly playing European dungeons! The anti-French alliance was organized seven or eight times!

But if you have the right to claim it, then the difficulty is very low, or even no difficulty at all.

Thomas remembered a royal descendant who had never been to England, but was elected king by the British. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and died of acclimatization within a few days of arriving in England. But if he hadn't died, he would have become king for nothing.

If Thomas did not have any claim to power, then if the Byzantines attacked in the future, it would be easy for him to bribe internal traitors. Even the members of the Knights Templar might not be willing to defend him to the death.

There's nothing you can do about it. People in this era have their minds wired this way. They're stubbornly clinging to their own opinions and their right to claim something.

But as long as the Pope issues a bull endorsing Thomas, then Thomas will have the right to claim the throne, and the Byzantines will be eliminated. At least they can only rely on hard power to fight, and can no longer rely on "legitimacy" to fool people.

"I'm going to treat the wounded. Where's my flag?"

"Over here!" Dimitrios gestured.

Now the Knights Templar have specially arranged a flag guard to look after this artifact.

"However, Grand Master, I think it would be best if you first met with the city's representatives. They are already waiting for you here."

"Are you a representative from the city?" Thomas, led by the clerk, came to an open space on the side.

Dozens of representatives were looking at Thomas with timid expressions.

From their attire, we can tell that there are Greeks, Turks (Seljuks), Star and Crescent believers, Christians, and maybe even some people of other faiths.

Everyone looked at the new conqueror in fear.

Everyone knew that the city was at the feet of the new conqueror, ready to take whatever he wanted.

This is different from changing the city lord before!

Moreover, they knew that there was fierce resistance in the city, and that such resistance at any time might have led to cruel reprisals.

Of course, you can say you didn't participate in the resistance. But even if the city gates are on fire, everyone will be affected. Not to mention this situation.

Thomas stood there, his armor covered in blood. No one dared to look him in the face.

"I'm Thomas, Grand Master of the Knights Templar," Thomas introduced himself calmly. "And I'm also the new master of Smyrna."

"I will protect the new order in Smyrna. I will forgive anyone who did not participate in the rebellion."

"I am willing to accept all non-Christian beliefs. If you do not wish to remain here, I will show you mercy and allow you to leave safely with your most precious personal belongings. If you are willing to accept my rule, I will not restrict your freedom in any way, except for additional taxes, nor will I interfere with your freedom of belief. If you have reason, you should choose friendship and peace over cruel war. This is because my mercy is only this once. If I discover that anyone is inciting rebellion against the Knights, I will punish those rebels with the most severe means. No god or man can stop me!"

The representatives looked much calmer. It was obvious that Thomas's speech was much better than the worst case scenario they had anticipated.

They whispered to each other, and after a few minutes, an old man who was obviously a Christian stepped forward.

"My Lord, what will you do with this city?"

"I will restore the city's commerce and transportation. I am willing to accept trade with pagans. I am willing to negotiate with pagan nations that does not harm the glory of Christ and restore Smyrna's commerce. I will guard the city's sea and land transportation routes, eliminate pirates, and protect trade."

"But..." the old man asked. "Sir, the land route to Smyrna is controlled by the Sultan."

"That's all right." Thomas smiled. "I've heard the Sultan is a wise man, and any wise man would agree to resume trade."

He said nothing more, and without further explanation, turned and left.

There are eight wooden golems standing in front, each with scars all over its body, but it does not affect its movement.

This is the biggest advantage of the wooden golem: it requires no maintenance!

Even if it is broken or smashed, it doesn’t matter. You can find a big tree and make a new one.

These wooden golems played a crucial role in this battle. Even now, their gaunt, sinister forms still terrorize the city.

Thomas walked past the golem and suddenly turned back.

"Dimitrios, this is for you." Thomas took off his helmet and handed it to Dimitrios.

"Grand Commander?!" Demetrios widened his eyes, not understanding what the other party meant.

"I'll be leaving later... maybe after the entry ceremony. If there's an emergency, I need to rush back to Rhodes Island," Thomas said. "This is for you. It's used to control the Wood Golem. It's very easy to use. Try it on and you'll see."

Chapter 131 Post-War 2

The two diplomats were taken to a relatively intact mansion.

Although it was "still intact", it was actually accidentally touched by the hem of Zhanhuo's skirt.

So no matter what, there will be some traces left.

As long as they were smart, the two people would know that they were under house arrest.

Although they were in the mansion of a noble or wealthy businessman, there were soldiers of the Knights Templar standing outside as guards.

The two couldn't get out.

Even if I could go out, I wouldn't dare to.

Because if that happened, no one would care if they died. The Knights could not be held responsible, and the Empire would not have any excuse to attack.

Even though the fighting had ended, the post-war reckoning and manhunt were still ongoing. Many of the remnants of the Star-Moon Cult were still hiding in some hidden corners.

In this situation, two diplomats who have no martial arts skills and are unarmed will probably not have a good outcome after going out.

The two of them could only stay in the room bored.

"What should I do? That Thomas must be plotting something!" Dupont said distressedly. "What do you think he wants to do? Why is he doing this?"

Even a fool could understand that Thomas must have a reason for keeping them under house arrest.

Are diplomats worth money? Not worth it!

A country may lack troops, money, and warships, but it will never lack envoys.

"What conspiracy requires him to do this? Wait! I understand!" Du Bang's eyes lit up.

"what?"

"The only use he had in arresting us was to buy time. And what was there for him to buy time for now? Only one! The claim to Smyrna!"

The two men knew before that most of the Rum Sultanate's energy was in the eastern border and it was unable to support Smyrna in the short term.

Previously, sending an old general to lead several thousand troops for reinforcement was almost the limit.

In order to ensure the other party's loyalty, he even directly appointed him as the new lord of Smyrna, replacing the deceased old lord.

In a short period of time, it was a foregone conclusion that Sudan would be unable to launch a counterattack.

"The claim to Smyrna? But..."

"Don't you understand? He is the Pope's student. As long as he makes a request, Rome will definitely agree!"

For the church, the Knights' large-scale attack, conquering pagans and seizing territory was a glorious thing.

It's impossible not to agree to such a small thing.

As for the interests of the Byzantine Empire, the Holy See does not care.

As long as the Pope issued a bull recognizing the conquered territory as the property of the Knights, the Knights' rule over the area would be legal. In other words, they would have the right to claim it.

At that time, the empire would be in a dilemma if it wanted to capture Smyrna.

If you ask the Knights for territory, they will definitely not give it to you!

If they protested the Vatican, they would surely be beaten to a pulp by the shady tactics of those charlatans. The Vatican's charlatans might not have many other skills, but their deception was undeniably top-notch. Any other power would bow down to them.

But if we want to force it, we have no legal reason for war, and the other party also has the right to claim.

To take forceful action would be to provoke a civil war among Christians.

If a civil war were to provoke among Christians, it would be like giving pagans an opportunity. The consequences would not only be discredited, but would be far more serious.

"Damn it!" After realizing this, both of them were shocked and angry.

But the two of them were trapped here and there was no good way out.

There was a sound of hymns coming from outside, and many people were praising Christ.

The two looked at each other and immediately hurried to the window to look out.

If I remember correctly, there was a camp for wounded soldiers over there.

Soldiers injured in previous battles were sent here.

The treatment of wounded soldiers in this era did not have the medical conditions of the future. In fact, the situation of the wounded soldiers was very bad.

Medicine, nursing and other sciences are still in their infancy and cannot provide scientific and effective treatment and assistance to the wounded.

As for anesthetics to reduce pain, that is even more impossible.

Poppies have appeared, but they are still expensive items and not something that any ordinary soldier can enjoy.

Therefore, any fool knows that the wounded camp is definitely a terrible place. Generally speaking, it is a hell full of painful groans and the smell of death.

Even the fearless warriors on the battlefield would tremble with fear when they entered the wounded camp.

But looking at it now, one could see that the wounded soldiers were praying devoutly, and they no longer looked like wounded soldiers at all.

From a distance, the wounded were scattered around, but a path had naturally formed among them. Several people in priest robes were holding high a flag and walking back and forth along the path.

No, it wasn't an ordinary priest's robe, but a robe with a hood attached, more like a cloak.

From time to time, he would stop and pray silently.

When he looked again, he saw that the leader was none other than Thomas, the Grand Master of the Knights!

Even the bloodstained armor was worn under the cloak!

"Look at this flag and feel the blessing of Christ!" The other two people holding the flag would say to the wounded from time to time.

Tears were streaming from the eyes of the wounded soldiers, who had completely forgotten the pain, as if rain from heaven was falling on them, healing their wounds.

And wherever Thomas passed by, the hymns there would become particularly loud.

The two diplomats were shocked and confused when they saw this scene.

Soon, they saw a wounded soldier suddenly tear off the bandage on his chest.

Judging from the blood on the bandage, he must have been hit in the chest by an arrow or a spear, which penetrated the armor. Although it was not fatal, it did cause considerable damage.

But now, he simply tore off the bandage, and underneath was smooth skin - only a patch of tender flesh on the chest that was obviously different in color from the surrounding skin, proving that there had been an injury there before.

"He's treating me!" Dupont whispered to his companion. "He's treating me!"

From time to time, a wounded soldier who had difficulty moving would become more agile and kneel down - this posture is easy for healthy people, but difficult for most wounded soldiers - and kneel down devoutly toward Christ, or in other words, toward the flag, chanting hymns without stopping.

The most exaggerated case was a wounded soldier who lost half of his arm.

He suddenly cried out and removed the bandage from his arm. Flesh and blood quickly grew on the wound of the broken arm, eventually transforming into a brand new arm.

Both diplomats gasped as they witnessed this unimaginable scene.

This kind of thing is not impossible, but... it requires a spell of either level seven or level eight, "Advanced Regeneration".

The wounded man was extremely surprised, but did not make much noise. Apparently, such miracles had happened many times and were not surprising.

After going around in circles, Thomas finally planted the flag in the center.

“Those who have received the Lord’s grace, come here and give thanks to Christ.”

All the wounded soldiers—or rather, former wounded soldiers—knelt down before the flag, prayed devoutly, and vowed to repay Christ's grace.

The fanatical and devout spirit made the two diplomats, who were both Christians (although of different sects), feel their scalps tingle.

Chapter 132 Post-War 3

Hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes are two completely different things.

The two diplomats had heard about the "Bloody Cross Flag" before, but at this moment they were still shocked and stood there, unable to move for a long time.

After a long time, when everything was over and all the wounded had returned to their teams, and the entire wounded camp was empty, the two men finally came to their senses.