In 1258 AH, the Crusaders launched the second phase of the major attack, but to the surprise of Western public opinion, this time the Anatolian Crusaders did not target the Seljuk Khanate in the east, but instead sent an elite army and the Nicaeans to attack the remnants of the New Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Trebizond. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

This was not only a great surprise to the Western powers, but even the Holy See found it incredible. The Nicaeans, who had always prided themselves to be the orthodox of the New Roman Empire, would join forces with the Crusaders!

But now this did not in any way please the cardinals of Rome, on the contrary - this time the action was not at all their order. The crusaders, composed of the nobles of the Italian Confederation and the kingdom of New Brad, did not follow their orders to rescue the allied forces that had fallen into the stalemate in Jerusalem, but instead scattered their forces against the ridiculous Trebizond, much to the displeasure of the bigwigs.

"Explain, Claudius! I remember that the prestige of the princes of Venice among the crusaders was not so ridiculous, right? We hope that you will be able to give us a proper explanation. In the council hall of the cardinal's opportunity, the cardinals looked at the old man below with great displeasure.

For this matter, both the Genoa Doria family and the Venetian Patik family are to blame. At least they were nominally the leaders of the crusaders.

"With all due respect, archbishops. I think there must be a special reason for this to happen. After all, the situation on the battlefield can change rapidly. Although our purpose is to solve the current predicament of Jerusalem. However, the situation is still unclear, and our soldiers hesitate and feel that there is no reason at all. Claudius said lightly, as a representative of the Venetian ruling nobles of the Pattic family, he seemed neither humble nor arrogant, in fact, this old man was once a member of this solemn cardinal, and he was also the supreme power of the Holy Church, and it was only for the sake of the family's interests that he had to take off his red robe at that time.

"Then please explain, Claudius." An archbishop asked in a calm tone, for he and Claudius were old acquaintances, former colleagues, and he understood that there must be some reason for what he said.

"Thank you for your understanding, Archbishop Aurelian." Claudius nodded, thanked him, and then explained: "The plan for this battle was decided on the fly, and Prince Alfonso of the New Bullard Kingdom has intercepted reliable information that the most valuable legacy of the empire is now in the city of Trebizond, and that not long ago the Seljuk Khanate sent tens of thousands of elite raids there at all costs, which further confirms our suspicions. That's why we made this decision after discussion. ”

These words were reported as they were, and the Holy See knew clearly that Claudius was not lying, but his subsequent speculation shocked many people.

"The Most Valuable Heritage ......???" Subconsciously, some cardinals couldn't help but gasp. When they captured Constantinople and used all their strength to almost turn Constantinople upside down, they still failed and failed to get what they wanted. And now the man in front of him claims that they have discovered the legacy of the so-called empire.

Absurd!!

This is the first thing that comes to the mind of every cardinal. That's right, how is this possible. The so-called most precious legacy of the empire has never been known only to them! And they suddenly realized that the old man in front of them was not one of them?

There was a deathly silence, and the nobles who looked at each other did not speak, but only made eye contact with each other, and they had a very tacit understanding for decades.

And at this moment, above the heads of the bishops, sitting on the highest position above everyone, a middle-aged man in a white robe finally spoke:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we should close the meeting at this time, even if it is blamed on Claudius, it will not change the current situation in the East, right?"

The man had been silent for so long that no one noticed his presence, and it was only then that the cardinals remembered that their Pope was sitting on the top of the Supreme Holy See watching all this.

No one agrees or opposes it, and the fact that the Pope's power, though seemingly great, depends on his ability to represent the interests of the cardinal, and if Pope Ingwe is so difficult to obey, the so-called successor of St. Peter is nothing more than a puppet. Since the Holy See has been put under the control of the royal power, the meaning of the Pope's existence has become less and less important than in the past. Now they just need to be obedient, but what makes them very headaches is that Ingwe is not so easy to manipulate.

Now, however, the cardinals have to admit that their disobedient pope is not right at all.

"Bishops, perhaps the Holy See is not wrong." An old voice rang out, and it belonged to His Excellency the Speaker of the Cardinal, who was usually the oldest and most prestigious of the cardinals.

And as soon as he spoke, for a moment, all eyes were drawn to it, and the bishops nodded their heads in agreement, and since His Excellency the Speaker had agreed, then they had no reason to object.

And looking at the expressions of the bishops below, a cold light flashed in Ingway's eyes, although he had an unruly heart, but he was smart enough to understand that now was not the time.

"Claudius, I'll trouble you this time." The speaker did not have the sense of oppression of a superior person, like an ordinary old man looking at Claudius below and said.

Claudius, however, showed a very nervous expression, and saluted the old man respectfully: "Where, Your Excellency the Speaker, then I will retire for the time being." With that, the old man put on his black robe and slowly withdrew from the council hall of the cardinals, disappearing from their view as the cardinals watched.

"Knock-" The door slammed shut, and Claudius still had a look of trepidation on his face, even after all the years had passed, and His Excellency the Speaker still felt unfathomable to him. This war is related to the fate of the East and the West, the so-called most precious legacy of the empire, and those who think of it should also understand what they mean. And whether the situation can be changed, he is not sure. According to Bassanio, there seems to be a suspicious presence of a Cretan fire bull in Trebizond, which of course has to be of concern to Claudius. The young man of the family, Antonio, disappeared and disappeared with all the traces he left in Constantinople, all the secrets intertwined with everything, and he felt clueless.

"As always cunning and cunning, Claudius the Elder." And just as Claudius was thinking alone, a harsh voice sounded in his ears, so that Claudius saw that there was a middle-aged man standing outside the cardinal hall waiting for him.

"Oh, long time no see, Lord Belus." Although the other party was not polite to him at all, Claudius did not mean to be angry at all, and only nodded, "It seems that Your Excellency has something to tell me." ”

"Hmph, it's still a set on the surface and a set behind it." Berus, who sneered, still spoke to Claudius in an irreverent tone, which made the guards around Claudius angry.

But Claudius quickly calmed down his guards, looked at the unkind Belus indifferently and said, "If there is, then I hope you can be straightforward, Your Excellency Belus." I think that as a representative of the Doria family, you should know how to do things. ”

"Proportion?! Unfortunately, old thing, this kind of thing has always been a headache for me. Bellus stepped forward and approached Claudius and said, this man is a well-known madman in the Doria family, and even a scheming person like Claudius sometimes finds it a headache for him, and this time he doesn't know what the other party's intentions are.

"Is it about those things in the East? I think I've explained enough in the telegram before. Claudius still maintained his demeanor.

But Belus didn't buy it at all, shook his head and said: "But in my opinion, it's not enough, just that thing would make you make such a decision, and it's incredible to join forces with those nouveau riche of the New Brad Kingdom." It's not that it's not precious, but the benefits it brings to you shouldn't make you go all out. ”

Berus's words suddenly made Claudius's heart sink.

That's it, whenever you think this man is a vexatious madman, he will always give you some "surprise"!

Despite this, Claudius still looked undeserved, and only shrugged his shoulders and replied: "If Your Excellency has to embarrass me, a dying old man, then I have nothing to do." As for what else is going on, with all due respect, there are other things to do. With that, Claudius left with his guards.

And Belus didn't obstruct it this time, just looked at the other party's back with interest and sneered slightly.

"Belus, what the parents have explained......" The guards around him wanted to speak and stopped, but Belus waved his hand and did not let the guards continue.

"It doesn't matter, anyway, I'm going to the East soon, and everything will be clear."

"But it's too dangerous!" Beruus's guards had been with him for ten years, and as a retainer, he did not approve of his lord's journey to the east, where the situation was becoming more and more chaotic. But he also understood that Belus had to go on this trip to the East.

"Danger? It was because of the danger that Arthur's rebellious boy was brought back. He didn't understand how much I expected of him and ran away, do you think I'd allow that to happen? Belus's eyes narrowed, and he said hatefully, there is also competition between the Doria family, and he bets everything on his nephew, although it is said that the man's illegitimate son, but Arthur's excellence has always been obvious to all, but since he invited himself to Constantinople four years ago, it has disappeared, which makes him angry.

……

At this moment, the cardinals were temporarily closed for consultation, and each of the cardinals looked a little nervous, knowing that such a thing would only be done in a very serious moment. It seems that what the Speaker and the Pope are talking about is important.

The East has always been the goal of the Holy See, especially after the new Rome obstacle was completely ended.

Now, however, the situation is not optimistic, and the strong rise of the Crescent Empire has caused the Crusaders to be deeply shaken in the Jerusalem area. Even the monarchs of the Western nations were in charge, but they felt the pressure in the face of Saladin, the unborn king of the East. Originally, they had made a well-thought-out plan, but it could not be implemented due to internal intrigues, which undoubtedly annoyed the cardinals. Now as long as the Anatolian crusaders do not move, the situation will not be opened at all, the power of the East is no longer the same as before, after absorbing the nutrients of the corpses of the new Rome, those heretics have already grown up and become the most dangerous enemies of the Holy See, but at this time someone is struggling with the remnants of the New Roman Empire. This is something that many cardinals cannot accept!

At this time they had to rely on their papostolic position, and although the Pope was not so obedient, the military talent of Ingwe was absolutely recognized by everyone present compared to political talent. What they need most now is a sound plan executor.

It's just that the atmosphere is undoubtedly a little tense now......

"At this point, I think Your Excellency, you don't have to hide the secrets of your past as you do in front of you, do you?" Ingwe finally spoke.

And the old man let out a deep sigh, "Yes, but most of the faces here are old faces from fourteen years ago, and even if they say it, there is no hindrance. Although we won the new Roman Empire in that war, we did not achieve the results we wanted, but our allies took the opportunity to seize their own interests. And what I'm going to talk about is about the rise and fall of the Holy Church. ”

For a while, the whole hall was silent, and some cardinals were as calm as water, because they also knew that as participants in the original war, they still had lingering palpitations, but there were still some relatively "young" cardinals, who did not understand the truth, but also felt a faint sense of oppression.

What is this-(To be continued.) )