Temple Sword

Chapter 174 The First Friend
1322, Hallows' Month (October)
Zagreb, Croatia

-

With less than ten days left until the end of the month, the cold wind howled through the city's buildings, the rust-colored leaves on the ground were getting denser, and the rain from thick dark gray clouds began to rot the fallen leaves.

The weather in Zagreb is gloomy and dreary, and everyone knows winter is coming.

The army, who had been away from home for nearly two months, had lost all enthusiasm, they had long understood that the king was not joking, and indeed they would not have any battles or sieges going south, and thus no rich spoils and any chance of advancement.

Only the couriers who deliver messages or papers on horseback have real missions this fall, and they have more missions than ever:

They came and went incessantly, never resting, hurrying daily on a change of horses to their destination, delivering messages from the king and letters from the royal judges to places known only to a few.

The king's special guest, Muladen Subis, wanted to see Charles every day, but the guards kept him out, leaving the Croatian governor even more angry and confused.

He and the twenty entourages he brought could roam freely in the city, but they could not step outside the city walls of Zagreb. This kind of strange treatment without any sincerity was not the way a king should treat guests at all.

Then one day, everything seemed to finally change.A handful of cavalry came, bearing the banners of Anjou, in such haste that they brought no good news.

Their leader, a bearded knight of great stature and broad shoulders, was brought before the king at once.

He stayed in the hall for about an hour, and whatever he said seemed to influence the fate of the Croatian Governor.Immediately after the knight came out, Muladen Subis was summoned by the king.

It's finally time, he thought with relief and excitement, now the king is finally going to tell me his decision, now justice is finally going to be done...

With his head held high, Mu Laden walked towards the hall accompanied by two spear-wielding guards.

-

Esteban Lakfi recounted the lost battle at length, and while he's never been one for speeches, he wasn't stingy with his words this time around.

He told the whole story: from Pozzoni to Vienna, from Passau to Mühldorf, camped by the Inn and Essing, plundered the surrounding villages, Duke Leopold who disappeared without a trace, A night raid, and finally a battle that lasted half a day.

Although he has been fighting on the edge of the right wing, unable to see the movement of the army as a whole, Lakfee still faithfully restored the battle situation at that time.

The battle should have been won by Frederick Habsburg, not Louis Wittelsbach, who believed that the first charge of the Hungarian army had decided the battle, and that they would have completely routed the Czech army, and then Bavaria people……

But Frederick set aside most of the Hungarian and Cuman cavalry and never gave them any orders to rejoin the fray.

Then when the defeat was sealed, the remaining auxiliary troops on the right fled to the bridge and, after a certain sacrifice, joined Kotsky's team.

"Thousands died there, Sire," Lackfell finished his story, "but we were saved by Our Lady.

According to our statistics, there were no more than 300 fallen warriors. The loss of your 2000 Cuman cavalry archers was about [-], and the loss of [-] Hungarian cavalry was about [-]. "

Lakfee's body was still aching and throbbing in countless places. The long-distance ride made him suffer from lack of sleep. When he finally arrived in Zagreb, he felt as if he had fought two rounds of Mirdorf. war.

But he doesn't regret it, and he doesn't complain.He knew that the king would remember those who brought important news, and sooner or later he would reward them handsomely.

Lakfee was determined to make his family famous during his lifetime, and no one who wanted to rise could enjoy the luxury of rest or any worldly pleasure.

He therefore set out from Pozzoni with a select party of Cuman riders, and headed southward, stopping only a day at Schummeg and Pécs, to personally report to the king on the battle of Mühldorf.

A thousand different emotions were reflected on Charlie's face, and thoughts raced quickly in his head.

Anjou's army had been invincible since the Battle of Rozgoni a decade earlier, and the king knew all too well how much an invincible and growing army could do both in politics within the kingdom and in negotiations abroad effect.

After ten years of victories and successes, he couldn't imagine how this failure would affect Hungary's growing diplomatic relations. catastrophic...

"So you mean," said the king, uttering his thoughts, "that the army I supplied started the battle with a charge, and did a good deal of damage?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lakfee nodded firmly, "we smashed soldiers at least five times our size. Before we are recalled, my poor comrade-in-arms Lorinche Tordi, may God bless his soul ,

He and I had seen the Bavarian army behind the Czechs, and our chance had been to break King John's line and push deeper..."

"I see." Charlie rubbed his chin, lost in thought. "And you say that Frederick Habsburg sent Earl Sandor and his troops to hold the bridge, and that no one passed over it until the end of the battle?"

"Not one, Your Majesty." Lakfell allowed himself a short smile as he began to understand what the king meant. "They guarded the bridge without leaving for a moment."

"When the defeat was fixed, the excellent commander and his loyal captains managed to leave with the cavalry under the banner of Anjou. Only 300 people died, and no one was captured by the Bavarians. Although Frederick lost the battle, the King of Hungary The army is still unconquered, is that so?" The king finished his reading.

"Even in the most chaotic situation, His Majesty can see clearly," Knight Sekai complimented, and he also agreed with this ingenious idea, "Yes, Your Majesty, that's how things are."

The wrinkles on Charlie's face slowly smoothed out, replaced by a satisfied expression.While his to-do list is still bottomless, at least he's managed to tackle a thorny problem.

"Thank you for bringing us this important news yourself, Sir Stephen!" said the king approvingly. "You will always have our gratitude."

Then, he waved his hand to let Lakfey stand aside, and announced to all the soldiers, knights, civil servants, priests and servants present:
"After a long period of correspondence and the signing of a large number of official documents, the outcome of the matter is fortunate. We have successfully settled our affairs in the southern part of the kingdom without a single soldier.

I know many of you are worried that we are going to spend the winter here, but don't worry!In two days we will return to our warm home in Timisoara, where everyone can celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones! "

There was deafening applause and cheers in the hall, and the whole wall was shaking.Charlie endured the outburst of enthusiasm with a smile for a moment, then ordered everyone to be quiet with a single stroke of his right hand.

"But there's one thing we haven't settled," he added in a deeper, serious voice. "I've heard enough rumors and speculation these days, and now I'm going to settle this in front of you, not In a more private setting, so watch and listen carefully!"

"Guards!" shouted Charlie, "bring Governor Muradan Subis to me at once!"

Not long after, the Croat walked into the hall in Zagreb. Unlike the last similar thing, this time he didn't need to pass among dozens of guards with expressionless faces. He didn't bow his head or kneel this time. Now, he stood before his king, back straight, head held high, and hope shining in his eyes.

"Here I am, Sire, as you have commanded," he said confidently, "and your humble servant is at your command."

"Muladen Subis!" cried the king coldly, determined not to delay his last business in the south, but to get straight to the point. "From today onwards, you are my prisoner. You have two choices, leave here with dignity or in shackles."

Mu Laden did not expect this result at all.His face was elongated, his skin was beginning to fade, only his eyes were still shining, but there was no longer any hope to be seen in them.

"With dignity... Your Majesty," he replied, but the bitterness in his throat made him almost speechless.His words fell from his mouth, weak and lifeless.

"Do you have any questions, Muladen?" Charlie asked.

The man standing opposite the king turned into a dusty statue and nodded slowly.

"What are you going to do, Your Majesty?" Muladen asked with difficulty, "What will happen to my territory, and what will my title become?"

"Your power has long been shaken, and your position as governor has become untenable in recent months," said the king. "Your subjects have betrayed you, and your city has betrayed you. As king, it is my duty to ensure this does not continue.

It took me a lot to keep the nobles who were at war with you and maintain the faltering peace in the south, so in order to keep this going, I hereby strip you of your title of Governor of Croatia.

From today, Janos Babonik is the Governor of the whole of Croatia and Slavonia.This must also end your long-running dispute with your other enemy, Istvan Kotromanic, over the position of Governor-General of Bosnia, who will henceforth own all of Bosnia. "

My empire has been destroyed, Mu Laden thought with ashes on his face, my father's empire!It has nothing left now...

"By the goodwill of Governor Janos Babonik, most of your castles, palaces and manors still belong to your family," Charlie continued.

Muladen stared at the king with an increasingly painful expression, as if he was tasting bile.

My relatives will steal everything from me down to the last loaf of bread!He heard his own inner voice.Even the Babonicks are better off than those bickering, backstabbing relatives!
"Your decision is unfair, Your Majesty!" Mu Laden wailed, trying to impress the king with his most sincere thoughts, but the latter was unmoved.

"You have a right to think so," Charlie concluded his sentence. "Farewell to your Croatian homeland, Muladen Subis! I'll take you back to the capital in two days."

"As your guest, Your Majesty?" the disenfranchised man asked painfully, "Is it the same as when I was here?"

"It all depends on you, Muladen," the king repeated the previous proposal, "it depends on how you choose."

-

As in Timisoara, Charles' castle in Zagreb designated a room as a small throne room for more intimate matters.He retreated into the house, and let the servants and guards leave the room, leaving Antal alone.

Antal knew this was not a good sign.

"For months, you have stooped to be my bodyguard and stayed by my side without a word of complaint or sarcasm," said the king. "I've known you for a long time, Antal, and I thought I had fully understood your character all these years, but now you surprised me once again."

"I have accepted my fate, Your Majesty," said Antal with a resignation that almost made Charlie angry.

"You and I both know that making you my personal bodyguard is a punishment, and I have also deprived you of the right to act freely."

"I always knew I deserved it," Knight replied, "and a lot of people thought I deserved a lot more punishment than that."

"Nonsense!" Charlie waved his hand, "Since we have successfully solved many problems today, let's solve this matter thoroughly too! Antal Barto, your punishment is over.

From now on, unless I have any special urgent tasks for you, you can arrange your own time. "

Antal felt a sudden relief from the inside out, but tried to hide his boredom so that Charlie didn't find out how exhausted he was following him all the time.

A huge stone rolled down from his heart, but the king could only see the knight sigh heavily, and a faint smile appeared on his mouth.

"Now I will tell you," said Charlie, "that I have an important court post for you, with great power and responsibility that comes with it, and I have a more serious plan, Antares, and with little People know these things."

"What plan, Your Majesty?"

"You will know everything in due time, my dear friend," the king evaded and replied directly, "only five people in the whole kingdom will know these things with you, including even how often King John went to the toilet, and Frederick How old is the Duke's favorite boy."

Antal didn't understand what the king meant, and he frowned at Charlie to see if he would say something more specific, but he said nothing more and started walking up and down the poorly furnished room.

He walked slowly across Antares, then stopped at the narrow window overlooking the bleak autumn landscape, hands behind his back.

Although there is no particularly beautiful scenery in Croatia at this time of year, Charlie doesn't care. He looks at the other corner of his empire, seeing his success, peace is maintained, and he can continue his ambitions. .

"As I said, starting today, you will regain your former freedom." After a while, he said in a strange and tired voice. "But you have to prove whether you are really capable of completing the tasks and responsibilities I entrust to you in the future..."

(End of this chapter)