…
On the seventh day of September, a raging fire was burning in a manor on the Italian border. The cries of women, children and children could be heard everywhere, and the bodies of villagers lying in pools of blood could be seen everywhere.
And the initiator of everything was the group of crusaders wearing the emblem of the Holy See.
The reason why they did such cruel things to the villagers of this manor was simply because they ran out of supplies.
Not long after, more than a hundred villagers in the entire manor fell to the slaughter of the Crusaders. This group of soldiers from the west returned to the camp with satisfaction, carrying several naked women and children and many supplies.
After they left, the manor was burned down and completely lost in the dust of history.
In the camp, a noble knight knelt on the ground devoutly, holding the cross hanging around his neck, closing his eyes and mumbling something.
"Lord, thank you for spreading the gospel to the world and teaching us what charity is. Please allow your believers to follow you throughout their lives and forgive the sins we have committed. Amen..."
After praying, the knight kissed the cross in his hand and then made a sign of the cross.
The knight's name is William, who comes from the Frankish Kingdom. He is currently a viscount and the general of the Crusaders.
William was a devout Catholic, but what he and his subordinates did could not be said to have nothing to do with the "benevolence" purpose of their faith.
When the Holy See called for the Crusade, William, a feudal lord, immediately summoned 150 knights and 700 infantrymen under his command. He actively responded to the Holy See's call and came to the far east to participate in the Holy War.
However, William, who went on the first expedition, obviously underestimated the distance between Frank and Central Continent. He thought he could reach it in one or two months, but he did not want to go for nearly a year.
There were no other problems in this process. The only problem was a serious shortage of food. Only halfway through the journey, William discovered that the infantry had increased from 700 to 400, and the cavalry had lost 30 people.
These people just started working because they were so hungry that they couldn't stand it anymore. The people who persisted now were not because they didn't want to run away, but because they were so hungry that they couldn't move forward.
Just when William was at a loss and already considering whether to rely on his status as a noble to beg all the way back to Frank, another Crusade team traveling with them gave him a feasible idea.
That's robbery!
The Crusaders who gave them this idea came from the Prussian Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire.
But judging from what they did, the Holy Roman Empire was neither sacred, nor romantic, nor an empire. It was nothing like a product, and its level of rebellion was only comparable to that of Koreans and Indians in the real world.
As for burning, killing and looting, they have actually been familiar with it since the first Crusade more than a hundred years ago.
However, the first plundering Crusaders still had some bottom lines. They would not attack the countries and people of the same bishops. Only the people of the Muslim countries would suffer.
However, human greed is endless. After seeing the wealth and prosperity of the East, and returning to the West from the Muslim countries with countless real money, the behavior of the Crusaders completely changed.
The second and third Crusades that followed were no longer just about fighting for faith, but more about going to the East to obtain yellow and white things, as well as spices that Western nobles flocked to.
From this time on, the Crusaders have been reduced to a group of bandits. Wherever they pass, there is no grass growing. Even their compatriots who are also followers of the Lord will inevitably be massacred. The purpose is to seize their wealth, even if it is only a dozen Just a copper dinar.
William resisted when he saw that his Prussian companions were slaughtering fellow Catholics, using their stores to obtain supplies, and publicly humiliating women and children.
After all, he is a noble French noble! You absolutely cannot do such shameless things.
But in the face of reality, William still succumbed, tentatively robbed a manor, and then...
William realized it!
After receiving more than a dozen golden dinars, William's inner guilt was quickly surrounded by a huge sense of happiness, and he felt that he had found the meaning of life.
From then on, William's crusade also joined the strategy of "eat the enemy". In order to prevent the families of the common people from being sad, they thoughtfully offered the "Kill one and exterminate" promotion, and the whole family was neatly organized from the physical to the spiritual level. were completely wiped out.
In this way, William's Crusaders finally arrived at the Italian border by burning, killing and looting all the way. Just as they were preparing to go to Venice, they were told by the Crusaders' coach Barrosi who was far away in the Holy See that their troops did not need to go to Venice and went directly to Venice. By land, he passed through Serbia and went to the territory of the Baisei Empire to accept the command of Duke Otomu.
Before setting off, he plundered the manor to supplement his lack of supplies and asked his subordinates to eat meat.
Regarding the killing of Catholic believers like himself, William had enough reasons to convince himself: I was killing heretics.
Sometimes, to the Holy See, heretics are more hateful than heretics. The best way is to burn them with holy fire, or nail their bodies to wooden stakes and watch them drain out the last drop of blood.
After William finished praying and put on a piece of chain mail with the help of his servants, he put on another set of chain mail and a Crusader robe.
At this time, in Western countries, the military generally used chain armor, but high-quality chain armor was also very expensive. The price of a set is about the income of an ordinary urban resident without food or water for three years. Generally, only the aristocratic class buys it. rise.
The more expensive chain armor was simply beyond the reach of ordinary landowners. Only a small number of heavy armored cavalry in the army could afford it, and they were all from the aristocratic class.
After putting it on, William drew out his cross sword and looked at the figure reflected in the sword. He said coldly: "Let us go to Constantinople together and destroy all the heretics there!"
William's army set off again, leaving behind them corpses that were nailed to wooden stakes, with their eyes and noses cut off, and the manors reduced to ashes.
…
Constantinople, inside the palace...
"Sidom, the royal family has been treating you well for so many years. Now it is the Roman Empire that needs your protection. Do you really not want to cherish the past friendship and stay to tide over the difficulties together?"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, Sidom understands the current situation of the empire, but I also have to consider my more than 4,000 subordinates. They also have families to support, and you have already owed half a year's commission. I really can't help you anymore... "
"Listen to me, Xidom. Give me a few more days. I will double the commission you owe you. Just a few days. I will get a large amount of money in a few days..."
"Your Highness, you don't have to say anything anymore. The departing ship has already docked at the port. Our soldiers urgently need to go home to reunite with their families. I'm really sorry that I can't help you."
After Sydom bowed to Theosures to express his apology, he turned and walked out of the palace.
"hateful!"
As soon as Sydom left, Theosures immediately overturned the things on the table.
Nasidomu is the leader of the Genoa mercenary group. He came today to inform Dioshures that they are leaving the territory of Beise.
In response to Xidom's departure, Theosures tried several times to persuade him to stay, but he already owed him half a year's commission. It can be said that his credibility was lost.
After all, mercenaries also have to eat and take care of their families.
"There must be a way, there must be a way..."
Theosures kept comforting himself, then walked out of the palace and walked towards Serdina's room.
At the same time, in the Roman Royal Academy, Zhuge Zhi, together with Ban Dingyuan and Wang Xuance, were collecting and learning all the customs, customs and history of the Roman Empire...
