Stories thread - King of the Romans PBM

[econ21]

The Kaiser’s camp at the ford east of Acre, 1326


Kaiser Elberhard looked up from his map at the stranger:

“Kachig says you have a proposition for me.”

The stranger bowed: “Sire, I have spoken to the shipwrights in Antioch. We can assemble a large fleet - large enough to transport all surviving Crusaders and their armies back to the Reich. It will not be quick and it will not be cheap. But it is possible.”

Elberhard frowned: “How not quick and how not cheap, precisely?”

“We could assemble the fleet by 1332. But it will take every resource in Outremer to see it done.”

“@#$%^&!!! it!” swore Elberhard under his breath and looked away. The offer re-opened a tension that had been present ever since the start of the cataclysm: whether to stay to protect Outremer or to return to the Reich to reassert his authority.

The Kaiser looked up at the man again: “Thank you … what is your name again?”

“Gustav Peters, Sire …explorer.”

“Good work, Peters, good work. I need to discuss your proposition. Wait in the camp. It’s going to be a long night.”

*****

Elberhard looked around at his inner circle. At the head was his wife, Linyeve. Next to her stood the veteran English warrior, Sir Charles de Villiers. Sitting relaxed on a stool, was Kachig Iskyan, the Armenian mercenary captain. Jan the Teuton stood upright, as if to attention. Almost in the shadows, lurked Niklas Gruber, his disgraced mentor.

“So, do we stay or do we go?” opened the Kaiser.

All eyes turned to Linyeve.

“We go.” she said simply.

Jan the Teuton turned red: “But to abandon Outremer! It is unthink…”

Linyeve cut him off: “Abandon Outremer or abandon the Reich? Which one is more unthinkable?”

The Empress paused and then began to list the Reich’s current woes. “The Kaiser’s brother is fighting for his life in Swabia. Bavaria has now entered the conflict, using Dietrich as its proxy. The Reich is on the verge of open civil war. With Prague’s secession from Austria, that House may soon also fall into internal warfare. Franconia’s eastern and northern flanks have been ripped open - invading armies of Poles, Danes and Russians are pouring into our heartlands. Byzantium has exterminated Rome and Bologna - the whole of north Italy is open to them. How many more settlements will they wipe out? How can we stay out here, while all that happens in Europe?”

“But Outremer…” protested Jan the Teuton.

The Empress raised her hand demanding for silence. “There is a way we could leave without abandoning Outremer to the Byzantines and the Mohammedans...”

Again, she commanded the attention of all in the room. She nodded at Sir Charles de Villiers and the English veteran warrior spoke hesitantly.

“At the Empress’s request, I made informal soundings to England. It is possible that they would accept the gift of Outremer.”

Linyeve continued: “If my father’s people ruled these lands, perhaps the Byzantines would halt their offensive. Their quarrel is with us for sacking Constantinople. They have no dispute with England. The Mohammedans, well - at the moment, they are killing themselves. The Egyptians are attacking the Turks in the east, so there should be a respite. And we could always return when the Reich is made whole again.”

Elberhard looked frozen with indecision, then broke into a wry smile: “@#$%^&!!! it - I’ve given away Outremer once, why should I blanche at a second time?”

Jan the Teuton looked appalled.

Elberhard turned to him: “Look, we came hear to protect Jerusalem and the Pope. Now Jerusalem and the Pope are trying to kill us! Don’t you think that shows we have outstayed our welcome?”

“About the Papacy, Sire…” a quiet voice spoke up from the shadows.

Heads turned towards Niklas Gruber, the Kaiser’s old mentor.

“While we are still in Outremer, there is one last task that we could perform - one that could only be performed from here.”

Jan the Teuton whistled and swore under his breath, but Niklas continued:

“Regime change: if the Pope were to fall in battle, we still have enough influence in the College of Cardinals to perhaps elect a German as replacement. That may make it easier for the Reich to be reconciled.”

A cold shiver ran through Elberhard and it was as if he could feel the spirit of his grandfather, Heinrich, passing by. He shook his head:

“As usual, there are too many “perhaps” and “maybes” in your advice, Niklas. If we destroy the main Papal army and take Jerusalem, we rob Outremer of a key bastion against the Mohammedans. The Holy City would surely fall when we leave.”

“At least consult Matthias on this.” prompted Linyeve.

The shiver ran through Elberhard again. “Very well.” he said, reluctantly.

“And what of besieged Aleppo?” said Kachig the mercenary Captain, ever practical. “What do we do now?”

Elberhard rubbed his head. Two depleted regiments of sergeants were holding the castle - besieged by two Byzantine armies. A third - an elite Guard army - blocked the path east from the ford. To relieve Aleppo, he would have to cut through all three armies.

“There are scarcely over one hundred men in Aleppo.” said Elberhard firmly. “How many men would we lose to rescue them? And if I lose my army, what is the point of returning to the Reich? I would merely be hostage to the first usurper we encounter on landfall. We cannot save Aleppo.”

Jan the Teuton looked distraught: “Sire, we are abandoning all codes of chivalry! This is not the honourable path!”

“I know, Jan, I know.” Elberhard looked down. ”Perhaps we should challenge the Byzantine Guard army in front of us? We avoided giving battle to them outside Damascus, but now they have put us in an even worse position. Perhaps it was a mistake to let them be? If we survive our encounter with them with sufficient strength, we could continue on to Aleppo and evacuate it.”

Linyeve looked at Elberhard harshly, with disapproval.

The Kaiser caught her glance and started to backtrack: “I must consult with the other Crusader Electors on this. But the principle is decided: we are leaving Outremer.”