Temple Sword

Chapter 192 New King Seal

1323, Month of St. James (July)
Visegrad, Hungary

A man with scars on his face walked through the corridors of Visegrad Castle, and the sound of angry and dangerous footsteps echoed everywhere he passed. Those who saw him, not only the guards and other soldiers, but even the servants straightened their backs, slightly Watching him pass warily.

They all knew who this man was, Miklos Gutkled, Count of Sopron, commander of the royal army, who succeeded in succession to order and disorder wherever the king sent him.

He is an indomitable and indestructible fighter, even those who don't like him have to admit it.

That summer Charles summoned the man to Visegrad to speak with him in a castle far from the palace on the Danube.

Although the entire imperial city was still in mourning, the rebuilt castle was still bathed in splendor. Even Miklos, who never cared about the flashy appearance, had a wordless appreciation for the sight in front of him.

The king didn't call him from the western corner of the kingdom because he was bored, and Miklos was sure that only the king, the royal judge and other cabinet ministers attended the meeting, and even the servants were cleared out, outside the door waiting.

The topic to be discussed this time may be more important than he initially imagined.

Charles Anjou and others were waiting for him in a smaller room, and this time the king did not sit on a throne on a high platform, but sat with others at a spacious table, making the atmosphere of the meeting the same as before. It's even more different than that.

Miklos saw a vacant armchair by the table, but pretended not to see it, knelt down on one knee in humility, bowed his head, and said to Charlie:

"Your Majesty! I have come as you ordered, your humble servant at your service."

The king looked at the dignitaries sitting on both sides of him with a faint smile, you see, my friends, this is a truly loyal subordinate, his eyes seemed to say so.Then he beckoned kindly to Count Sopron.

"Get up, Count Miklos, sit down at the table and join us!" said Charlie in a booming voice. "You must be wondering why I called you here in peacetime."

"Indeed, Your Majesty." Miklos stood up and sat down on the chair prepared for him with his chest out.

"Okay, then let's get straight to the point," the king said, "you have been my loyal commander for many years, and you have done an excellent job as the earl's castle master, so I won't list you here. Your merits, because we all know how much you have contributed to the consolidation of the kingship.

You are a fearless warrior, few are as good as you, but do you know why I raised you to the court? "

"If I may venture to guess," Miklos said in his hoarse voice, "my family's reputation played a part in this decision."

"That's right," Charles admitted, "for centuries, the Gutclads have brought to this kingdom outstanding men, prolific women, and excellent nobles.

Your ancestors have been here from the time of King St. Stephen, and if I remember correctly, the silver wedge in your family coat of arms symbolizes the dragon's tooth. "

"Yes, Your Majesty," the man said proudly, "In the time of King Solomon, my ancestor, the brave Orbos, slew the giant dragon in the Essedi Swamp..."

"So it is!" The king's eyes sparkled, "Not many families have such ancestors to boast about. At that time, you were recommended to me by several court dignitaries. You will be as loyal and brave as your ancestors.

Of course, there are many aristocrats who profit off of their family's fame while having nothing of their own, but you've proven from the start that you're not one of those people. "

"Throughout my life, I've tried to follow the path of my ancestors, and the philosophy they followed," Miklos said. thing."

After hearing this sentence, everyone present nodded in unison.

"We have received your latest report, Lord Gutkleder," said Demeter Nexel, "according to reports, you doubled the size of the Sopron banner in the spring, except for your three In addition to a hundred light cavalry, you also trained a hundred heavy cavalry and two hundred infantry. So now you command six hundred soldiers, not counting the auxiliary squires and servants..."

"That's right, Lord Nexai," the man nodded, "My infantry have also received special training. They are not only proficient in spears, but also good at using bows."

"However," continued Demeter, "we have also learned that, in order to expand your army, you have borrowed heavily from the Church and neighboring parishes..."

Miklos swallowed heavily. He didn't include the incident in his report, but it seemed that no secret could escape the eyes of the king and his courtiers.

"This is also true," he had no choice but to admit, "but I will pay off the relevant loan in time."

"Count Miklos," Charlie leaned forward, leaning on the table, squinting at the serious commander, "If we call you Governor Miklos from now on, would you like it?"

Miklos didn't understand what the king meant, his brows furrowed, and the wrinkles folded on his scarred forehead.

"I will depose Janos Babonik," continued the king, "and appoint a new lord to govern Slavonia, Croatia, and Dalmatia.

But this man must have the ability to hold power, and he must establish a new order between the Subis family and other disobedient noble families.That said, he has to bear the weight of the governorship title.

We must let the chiefs of the cities on the Adriatic coast understand that they cannot bow to Venice at will, they need to understand that all their powers are given by the King of Hungary, and the King of Hungary can also take them away... Count Miklos , do you think you are up to the task? "

"In addition to the title of governor, the royal family will pay off your loan in full," Demeter added, "and His Majesty will provide you with an army strong enough for you to take over the South."

"You must push all the way to the sea," the king concluded. "We want you to clear the entire southern part of the kingdom from resistance. And I don't think the Baboniks will surrender power willingly. You must take the governor from them by force." position, what do you say?"

Miklos Gutkled's face was first surprised, and then, as the king spoke, this surprise was gradually replaced by a firm, unwavering ruthlessness.

"It is my great honor, sire," replied the Count at last, "that I shall be your fist, my lord, and your wrath, and I shall burn the cleansing fire to the sea."

"Very well," the king smiled triumphantly, "then don't delay, go back to Sopron immediately, gather all your troops, and when the summer is over, my soldiers will also join you. From now on, you No more debts."

The newly appointed Croatian Governor stood up, his scarred soul was agitated, and he, who had never been good at expressing his feelings, knelt down again, and he didn't know what else to do.

"Please, it's totally unnecessary!" The king sprang to his feet, lifting his loyal subject from the ground, but he also held out his lily ring so that the man could kiss it gratefully.

"Okay." The king nodded and sent Miklos out of the room himself.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the other dignitaries present looked at each other with satisfaction, they didn't need words to know what others were thinking.

They believed that Miklos Gutclad would settle the power disputes in the southern coastal area once and for all, and start a long period of peace there.

Charlie was behaving strangely that day, and all the members of the small council noticed it.There was a faint smile hidden in the corner of his mouth, and there was also a mystery in his eyes that they couldn't decipher, and they didn't dare to ask more.

They were a little apprehensive, for the king was evidently hiding something from them.But the ministers were delighted to see that the King seemed to be recovering from his previous grief, and that the darkness that had hung over his soul seemed to have begun to fade away. The death of his youngest son had haunted Charlie for the past few weeks, but Now, the king is back to his former self-confidence.

After seeing off Miklos Gutklade and discussing several issues on the agenda, the king stopped the crowd as they were about to leave, and finally expressed what he had been hiding all along.

"Adults!" Charlie stood up solemnly, "I have to admit that I didn't call you here today just to discuss some small things. I still have one thing to say, a big one."

Under the curious eyes of the ministers, Charlie walked around the room, and finally sat down on the other side of the table.

"It has been twenty-three years since I left Naples and first set foot on the soil of this kingdom," he began his monologue. "Since then many unspeakable things have happened. After twenty years of bloody war, we Only then did a fragmented kingdom be rebuilt into a unified empire.

Even when we had to start over, we never gave up and God was always on our side.However, during this time, the devil did not sleep, and they built a lair in the hearts of many of our good believers...

Think of Ahmad Abba, who betrayed us in the twilight of his life, and we were forced to smash the army of his sons at Rozgni.

Or Muradan Subis, who was thrown into the dungeon last year, who has been claiming to be on the side of the royal family, but has been committing all kinds of unforgivable crimes.

You see, for a long time, Janos Babonik was a loyal minister, but now we have to forcibly take away the powers he was given.Over the years, many of our followers have broken their vows, and some are only now showing their true colors. "

Charlie paused for a moment, scanned everyone with keen eyes, and then spoke his thoughts straight to the point.

"This year marks the beginning of a whole new era in the kingdom's history," he said emphatically. "We've minted a new currency, introduced a new tax policy, and built a new imperial capital. Now, it's time to once again ensure that our subjects completely loyal."

"Your Majesty, what do you want to do?" Demeter Nexel frowned and asked, "I don't quite understand..."

"Destroy my old seal and carve a new one."

"But, Your Majesty," said the Royal Judge, looking at the King in amazement, "does this mean..."

"This means," Charlie finished speaking for him, "all my previous fief grants, title assignments, and job appointments will become invalid."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't understand." Demeter blinked, a little surprised, "Do you mean our documents this year, or all the appointments and appointments given to the nobles after the death of Mate Chuck? gift?"

"You don't understand me, Monsieur Demeter," said Charlie firmly. "What I mean is that all the papers, all the fiefs, titles, and offices we have conferred in the last twenty-three years, are stamped with the old crown. printed documents."

"But, this..." The royal judge couldn't believe his ears, he quickly calculated, "That's tens of thousands of documents, my lord!"

"Every lord, whether he be doge, earl, or baron, every knight, squire, lawman, and castle servant, with their titles, lands, manors, castles, villages, and any appointments they have received during my reign, will be immediately invalidated.

My lords, I will not pretend that this task will be easy," the king said to his increasingly pale-faced ministers after announcing his plan. And sure to be the sweetest. "

"Your Majesty," Demeter asked boldly, "are you not concerned that this may lead to a rebellion, or even another major civil war?"

"This is a sacrifice we have to make," Charlie said calmly, "but I don't think what you're worried about will happen. Although Janos Babonik will not be happy that his title of governor has lost its legitimacy, but Miklos Gutklade will have a letter of appointment with the seal of the new king and an army! Do you know what I mean?

What I mentioned is not a special case. After knowing this news, everyone will scramble to work hard for the kingdom to prove their worth, prove their loyalty, and prove that they are worthy of the official document with a new seal!From now on, the kingdom will be managed by capable heroes!

Anyone who does nothing for a few months will be heavily scrutinized, and disloyal rebels will lose their privileges forever.We do it for no other purpose," concluded the King, "but to separate the wheat from the chaff. "

"When shall we begin, Sire?" asked the Chancellor.

"At once," said the king, "destroy my old seal, and tomorrow I shall see a new one! Let the messenger carry the news to every corner of the country, so that everyone knows as soon as possible, and only show the old seal Sooner or later, those who are born will become worthless, and they must prove their worth and loyalty to get a new seal."

After that, he clapped his hands and nodded with satisfaction, "The meeting is over now, let's go!"

The ministers got up and left one after another. Charlie was sure that they would find a place to have a drink first. Judging from the glances and unenthusiastic expressions they exchanged, they didn't like this job that might last for several years.

"You may have many headaches and sleepless nights," said the Chancellor to Charles when the king and Demeter were alone in the room. "Did you see the expressions on their faces, Your Majesty?" ?”

"Of course, but now is the time to prove that they are worthy of their place," the king smiled slyly. "It may take years before all the work is done, but tell me, Demeter, who runs a kingdom." When will things be easy again?"

"Good question, Your Majesty," Demeter sighed, "especially when this kingdom is Hungary..."

"We all know this is the best test of loyalty and ability." Charlie said, "Speaking of loyalty, now is the time for Antal Barto to prove his ability again.

Tell him I'll be waiting for him in the palace by the river tomorrow afternoon after prayer time, and I'll give him a new quest then.He will also go south with the army of Miklos Gutclad, wonder if our old friend is finally grown up now..."

(End of this chapter)