Episode 117
“Who died?”
“They say Kaloyan is dead.”
“The Tsar of Bulgaria I know?”
Alexios III, who had rushed over after receiving the belated report, seemed unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
I understand. I felt the same way at first.
“Yes, Your Majesty, the Tsar of Bulgaria you know has died. And it was by the sword of King Richard.”
“How could that happen?”
“Shortly after the battle began, the English forces led by King Richard completely crushed the Bulgarian army. Riding that momentum, King Richard pushed deep into the enemy’s rear and slaughtered them. Unfortunately, it seems the Tsar was struck by a stray sword.”
If Richard had done it intentionally, there would be room for criticism, but this was an unfortunate situation for him as well.
It was like standing in front of a runaway train and getting hit—how could he have known it was the king of the opposing nation?
“And the body… is it intact?”
“Intact would be a stretch. It took some time to identify him. But fortunately, they say he wasn’t stabbed in the back.”
If he had chased down a fleeing opponent to stab him, it could have been a real issue.
But if he died fighting head-on, it could be framed as an unfortunate accident.
“This is maddening. I thought this was a chance to reintegrate Bulgaria, but now it seems like it will only deepen the conflict.”
“Rumors tend to grow, and once they spread, they can greatly influence public opinion.”
“You’re right. In a few months, people might say we brought the Crusaders to crush Bulgaria, and the Tsar will be hailed as a hero who died resisting Rome. I had considered many scenarios, but I didn’t expect this.”
Alexios III’s plans were easy to guess.
The Byzantine Empire was secretly bribing Bulgarian nobles, trying to win them over.
They were desperately trying to sway public opinion by promising not to discriminate against Bulgarians anymore.
There had been some success, and if they could just deliver a crushing defeat to Bulgaria, the situation would resolve itself.
Nobles who saw the benefit of siding with Rome would denounce the incompetent Tsar and secure their rights.
In truth, many Bulgarians weren’t genuinely trying to break away from Rome.
It was more an explosion of anger and resentment from accumulated discrimination.
In other words, if they could just dismantle the Bulgarian army, reconciliation was possible depending on how they handled it.
“King Richard is also quite taken aback by how things turned out. But it seems King Philip II has come up with a decent solution.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Would you like to meet him right away?”
“Of course! We need to act before the rumors spread. This is a race against time!”
Alexios III immediately led his troops to join Richard and Philip II at their camp.
Thanks to this, I got to witness the rare sight of three monarchs holding a meeting within Bulgarian territory.
“First, let’s not point fingers. We’re all allies here, and we don’t want to cause division over this.”
Alexios III set the tone from the start, and Richard’s expression noticeably brightened.
From the Byzantine perspective, they had effectively wiped out the strongest rebel force without lifting a finger.
If they blamed the alliance for a mere accident, Richard would naturally feel guilty but also harbor resentment.
For the future of the Crusades, it was wise to let this slide.
If Alexios III had been difficult, I was prepared to intervene strongly, but thankfully, it didn’t come to that.
Richard, who had been cautiously watching, relaxed and offered a new suggestion.
“The Bulgarian army is practically annihilated after the last battle. They won’t dare face us head-on again. In the last meeting, King Philip II suggested we incite them first, but to do that, we need to occupy their capital.”
“As I mentioned before, doing so might provoke extreme resistance.”
“Ah, then we just need to send a suitable number of troops so it doesn’t feel too intimidating. We don’t have the luxury to station a large force here since we need to move to Anatolia.”
“So, you’re suggesting we continue our covert operations while advancing only the Byzantine army.”
If the English and French armies withdrew, it wouldn’t seem like the Byzantines were oppressing Bulgaria with foreign forces.
In any case, occupying the capital was necessary, and it made sense for the Byzantines to handle the rest alone.
I silently observed Philip II, who was sipping coffee imported directly from Arabia.
Honestly, I expected him to sit back without offering a real solution, but his plan was surprisingly plausible.
Perhaps he anticipated I would take action and decided to make the first move.
He’s always been quick to catch on.
“Your Majesties, shouldn’t we first hear King Philip II’s specific plan before making a decision?”
“Indeed. We didn’t hear the details in the last meeting.”
“Shall we listen to King Philip II’s insights?”
As all eyes turned expectantly towards him, Philip II finally spoke.
“It’s simple. Bulgaria is a place that believes in the Orthodox Church. That ends the discussion.”
”…I’m not sure I follow, as you’ve skipped many steps.”
“What we’re worried about is the Tsar of Bulgaria being idolized by the Bulgarians, right? That would disrupt the Byzantine plan to stabilize the rear before the war.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then we just need to paint the Tsar of Bulgaria as the greatest heretic.”
As expected from someone skilled in sowing discord, his thinking was eerily similar to mine.
Richard, who hadn’t fully grasped the idea, furrowed his brow slightly.
“If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be having this discussion, would we?”
“You might find this unpleasant, but it’s not difficult. We have the perfect justification.”
”…Are you referring to the Crusades?”
“If it were just about organizing a Crusade, people might see it as Europeans causing trouble in the East. But we have a great prophet recognized by the entire Christian world. Achieving our desired outcome isn’t hard.”
With Richard and Alexios III urging him on, Philip II elaborated on his plan.
The Second Bulgarian Empire, which had been on the rise, was thrown into chaos.
Bulgaria, which hadn’t yet established a proper state structure, was more of a coalition of nobles united under the Tsar.
The driving force behind their unity was decades of discriminatory treatment from the Byzantine Empire.
The Bulgarian imperial army, which rose to break this, had been triumphing over the weak Byzantine forces.
At least, until now.
But after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the Crusaders from the west, their momentum came to a sudden halt.
“What? The Tsar conspired with the Muslims?”
“Who spread such nonsense?”
“Then how do you explain the simultaneous military actions with the Muslims? Was it just a coincidence?”
In the medieval era, the most effective witch hunt was to label someone a heretic.
Once branded as someone who colluded with Muslims, the title of traitor automatically followed.
[Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria suspected of colluding with the Khwarazm!]
[Was King Richard’s sword divine judgment or tyranny disguised as judgment?]
[Christian prophet Marshall declares that those causing discord in these times will face divine judgment and suffer eternally in hellfire.]
Indeed, seasoned professionals have a certain flair. Look at how words I never uttered have solidified into facts.
Philip II quickly spread the rumor using the nobles bribed by Alexios III.
The story was that the Tsar of Bulgaria had conspired with the Sultan of Khwarazm to launch a joint attack on the Byzantine Empire.
With the Bosporus Strait as the boundary, Khwarazm from the south and Bulgaria from the north.
It was a plausible rumor that spread rapidly, not just in Bulgaria but throughout the Byzantine Empire and even to the Grand Duchy of Hungary.
Hungary, which had been closely watching the war, immediately issued a statement saying, “No matter how much you want independence, colluding with Muslims is unacceptable,” and began mobilizing troops to join the Crusade.
Naturally, this news reached the ears of the Bulgarian nobility as well.
“The public is in an uproar over these ridiculous rumors! We need to refute them immediately!”
“Ridiculous rumors? Are you sure they’re just rumors? People are even talking about a secret pact between the former Tsar and the Sultan of Khwarezm.”
“What secret pact? There was no such thing! What nonsense is spreading around?”
“Then come up with a convincing explanation! We need an explanation!”
But how could they explain anything when the person involved was dead?
Moreover, Philip II moved so swiftly that public opinion had already turned against Bulgaria.
The rumor that the Tsar had betrayed Christianity and was punished for it spread faster than the news of his death.
The most bewildered by this were none other than the Bulgarians themselves.
“Do you think we rose up just to fill your coffers?”
“There’s a limit to everything. Are you trying to expand your territory by cozying up to Islam?”
“Did you even intend to be independent in the first place?”
With public sentiment deteriorating to this extent, continuing the fight was impossible.
In response, Alexios III passed a decree guaranteeing the privileges of the Bulgarian nobles and citizens who sided with him.
Nobles who surrendered quickly were even granted the privilege of entering the Senate.
The Emperor also promised to significantly reduce taxes for the Bulgarians who surrendered swiftly for the next ten years.
Nobles who insisted on fighting to the end began to be purged, and the Bulgarian rebellion lost all momentum.
With this, annexation was the only path forward.
Initially, it seemed like they were merely cleaning up a Byzantine headache, but in hindsight, the outcome wasn’t bad at all.
There was virtually no loss of troops, and they now had a reason to pressure the Byzantines for more support.
Even Hungary, which had been watching cautiously, promised to send troops, making it a win-win-win situation.
“Hallelujah! God truly is with us!”
The Emperor’s father-in-law’s broad grin was oddly irritating, but everything was now perfectly in place.
The harbingers of slaughter would come eventually.
Facing the Khwarezm would be the perfect warm-up before confronting them.
Let them come.