ALL NOVEL
Chapter 83: The Princess Strikes
Hunyadi paced to and fro the Hungarian court.
“We can either choose to attack while the Khitan Caesar is not in the Eastern Romain Empire, pushing the battle line to the Balkans and crippling the Eastern Romain Empire in his absence.
“Or we can wait for the Khitan Caesar to return, stalling time for the formation of the Crusade.
“If we choose the latter, there’s a risk that the Khitan Caesar might come after us right after leveling the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. If so, the Crusade won’t be able to make it in time, and we’ll be forced to fight a defensive battle in our homeland.”
The Hungarian officials fell silent. They knew that Hunyadi was right.
If they refused to work with Transylvania and the other countries to attack the heart of the Eastern Romain Empire while the Holy Romain Empire was willing to supply them with money and rations, they might never get such an opportunity again.
They weren’t so ambitious as to dream of destroying the Eastern Romain Empire. They were only aiming to throw the Eastern Romain Empire into disarray so that Shu Yichao would have his hands full when he returned from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
“Prepare to set off!” Hunyadi ordered as he drew a cross in front of him.
“My Lord, please bless us.”
【…】
【Hahaha, it turns out that it isn’t a dream.】
System 12345 looked at the screen.
【UWAAAAAA!!! How did things end up like that?! I don’t understand! I can’t understand it!】
【It should have been a sweet romcom! Why is there bloodshed everywhere?】
Having made up his mind, System 12345 fearfully tapped into Momoana and the others’ data. What it saw was a sea of gray.
【Hah. I knew it…】
The main cast and the supporting casts are nearly all dead. There’s nothing left to conquer! Damn it, my internship is royally screwed!
【My academic credits! My academic credits!!!】
【It’s over. It’s over. My graduation is going to be delayed. Ahahaha…】
【…】
【Aiish.】
A thought suddenly flashed across System 12345’s CPU.
【I suddenly realized something. I don’t think it’s stated anywhere in my internship criteria that the captured femme fatale has to be righteous, right?】
【…】
【Eyy, there might be a way out!】
I might not be able to alter my internship details, but I can at least alter my internship report, right?
System 12345 was overjoyed.
【I am such a genius!】
【Nice to meet you, my host! I am the Femme Fatale Villain Conquest System! Let us conquer those dangerous yet mesmerizing villains together!】
Shu Yichao tapped into his information window to check the notifications.
“Conquer what villain?” Shu Yichao glanced at it.
He tapped on the information window again.
“Ah. I didn’t know I could type in the information window.”
【!!!】
System 12345 nearly fainted from sheer bliss when it saw the screen displaying that ‘The other party is typing…’
Is my host finally going to reply?!
Its heat quivered, and it was so moved that it couldn’t say a word.
【Hold on, why is this damned screen smoking up?!】
…
In Constantinope…
“Is the White Knight coming?”
Constantin XI fell into deep thought after reading the messenger’s report.
According to the frontline reports, while Shu Yichao was wreaking havoc on the grasslands, Hungary’s regent, Hunyadi, had rallied the remnant troops from the Balkans and Danube River to form an alliance to attack the Eastern Romain Empire.
Clearly, they were planning to sneak into the forest to hit the monkeys while the tiger was out.
“How many people do they have?”
“Your Majesty, their army numbers around 20,000.”
“Where did he find so many people?” Constantin XI asked in astonishment.
Hunyadi had barely gathered 25,000 people during his grand showdown with the Ottomains. The countries along the Danube River had been so badly hit by Shu Yichao that it was hard to believe that they could still put together such a huge army.
“It’s probably their final force,” the messenger replied with a sigh.
“This is their desperate struggle.” Constantin Xi nodded in realization.
Those countries knew that they would be goners once Shu Yichao was done dealing with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. At least, their own army wouldn’t be a match for the Scourge of God.
“They are looking down on us.” Constantin XI flicked his purple robe. “The current Eastern Romain Empire isn’t the same as what it was a year ago. Go, let’s inspect our new army!”
Constantin XI was confident in the militia-farmers personally trained by the Khitan cavalrymen.
After its territories were restored to the Komnenos’ era, the Eastern Romain Empire’s prowess had grown by leaps and bounds. Granted that it was still in the midst of digesting the land it had taken over, it was at least strong enough to be considered a regional powerhouse.
Their new army had expanded to over 15,000 men strong and were armed with superior equipment. A portion of them had also seen blood too. Be it beating the Venetians, clearing bandits, or putting the rebels in place, they had proven that they were up to the job.
Constantin XI believed that not even Hungary’s famed general, Hunyadi, could conquer the Eastern Romain Empire’s strongholds protected by the new army.
However….
“Ah?”
Constantin XI was dumbstruck when he arrived at the new army’s barrack.
The barrack was completely empty. There was not a sound to be heard other than the rustling ‘Qin’ flag. (T/N: Qin as in the Qin Dynasty.)
“W-where are they?!” Constantin XI exclaimed.
I know that we, Romains, are selfish and cowardly… but the new army has at least fought in battles before! Why did they all desert as soon as they heard that our enemies are coming?
“Your Majesty.” Madam Marti walked over and handed him a letter with a crumbled face.
“Suna?” Constantin XI stiffly turned over as if he was a rusty robot.
“The new army didn’t desert,” Madam Marti replied incredulously. “The princess took them.”
“Princess?” Constantin XI took a while before it hit him who Madam Marti was referring to, “Sophia?! Wait, what is she planning to do? No, I mean, how did a six-year-old girl like her even mobilize an army of 15,000? Even I can’t mobilize them without the seal…
“Wait, the seal! Is the seal not with me?! Who’s sabotaging us?!”
Constantin XI was on the verge of a breakdown. He could only imagine that someone had borrowed Sophia’s name to mobilize the 15,000 men of the new army.
Madam Marti was in shock too.
“Sophia mentioned in her letter that she was going to attack the Hungarians. There isn’t any sabotage at play, and the princess didn’t take anything too. I heard that she rode to the barracks on a shire horse and shouted ‘Soldiers of the Romain Empire, come with me’
“Then, the new army cheered ‘Long live the Basilinna’ before leaving with her.” (T/N: Basilinna means queen in Ancient Greece)
“…My Lord! What is this?!” Constantin XI couldn’t make sense of how this happened.
Stealing the seal and mobilizing the army would be revolt, but Sophia didn’t take the seal and simply called the new army away with her with a single line…
This was ridiculous!
At this point, Constantin XI had no choice but to acknowledge a ridiculous truth—Sophia’s prestige in the new army actually towered far above him even though he was the emperor!
Not far away, Sophia’s sobbing mother was running over upon receiving the news.
Constantin XI felt light-headed. He had fought for the nation’s prosperity for decades now, yet his words weighed lighter than a six-year-old girl. For the first time, he felt like he had gotten old.