A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

For the time being, the situation is only getting worse, but it is not irreparable. With the habit of an old bureaucratic system, they can't make up their minds to do anything in this situation.

Whether it is spending money or manpower, it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

In fact, providing money and manpower is a difficult thing, because providing money and manpower are actually the same thing. It is just giving money.

Does the church have money?

Very rich! No one could refute the Church's wealth. Every clergyman above the rank of bishop could easily cough up hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of florins. Cardinals could easily cough up tens of thousands.

But the problem is that private wealth does not mean the church is rich.

Even the Pope cannot force people to take out money from their private pockets.

After a chaotic meeting, no conclusion was reached and in the end, only 30,000 florins could be raised from everyone's pockets.

After everyone left, the Knights' messenger and secretary, Demetrios, was called into the reception room.

Although 30,000 florins is not a lot, it will be given to him to take back.

Seeing that there were few people around, Dimitrios took something out of his pocket.

"Your Holiness, the Grand Master has actually brought a secret letter with him this time," Demetrios said. "He has entrusted me to deliver this letter to you, and you must open it in person."

The Pope, puzzled, took the letter and opened it.

He couldn't control himself the moment he read the letter. Even years of cultivating his energy couldn't hide his surprise at that moment.

"Is this true?" the Pope asked immediately.

"I don't know what the content of this letter is, but since it was written to you personally by the Grand Master, it must be true." Demetrios didn't seem to understand why the Pope reacted so strongly.

"Do you know what it says?"

"I don't know." The letter was sealed and he didn't peek.

"Your Grand Commander said he could capture Smyrna. He could deploy troops here and occupy it for a long time. He asked me if this approach was appropriate. If it was, he hoped the church would send him some administrative officials and priests. Furthermore, he said that if I agreed to his plan, then you wouldn't have to bring the money back. You could just use the money to recruit mercenaries locally and bring them back."

"Ah!" The surprise on Demetrios' face was not fake.

Although he had never participated in the battle before, he was well aware that the defense of that place was very strong.

Although Smyrna suffered heavy casualties and its city walls were damaged, even if all the previous reinforcements were withdrawn, the remaining forces were still not something the Knights could deal with.

At least not alone.

In addition, news came that the Seljuks (Rum Sultanate) had sent reinforcements here.

Not many, but at least thousands of people.

Therefore, even considering the power of the bloody cross flag and strengthening the soldiers, Dimitrios did not think it was feasible.

Magic can enhance the combat effectiveness of soldiers, but it does not make them immortal.

And the duration of magic is limited.

Most spells only last an hour or two. If the battle can't be resolved within an hour or two, that's another matter.

So even though the Bloody Cross Flag is a sacred object, it does not mean that the Knights Templar are invincible.

"Go back and tell Thomas," the Pope laughed. "No problem, I support him. As long as he can capture Smyrna, then Smyrna will be the legitimate territory of the Knights! As for the officials, priests, and so on, I will fully support them."

He didn't give the letter to anyone but kept it away.

Because the letter also wrote another thing...that is, the Knights would take advantage of the situation to capture some Byzantine territories, especially other islands.

These things also require papal bulls to gain legitimacy of rule.

Chapter 115 Counterattack Plan 2

The seaside castle of the Star-Moon Sword.

Ferdinand walked slowly down the corridor.

He had big steps and each one covered a long distance, so the followers behind him had to speed up to keep up.

This is the castle's living area, divided into rooms. There aren't many rooms, but there are quite a few, at least a hundred.

Every room used to be full of people, and people would pass by from time to time, making it a busy corridor.

Different accents from the various countries of the Star-Moon Sect rise and fall, sometimes even reminiscent of a bustling city.

But now, I don’t know how many rooms are vacant.

This time... well, although it was a great victory, the Star-Moon Sword also paid a huge price.

It was a great victory for the entire Star Moon Sect.

But for the Star-Moon Sword Cult, it can only be described as a pyrrhic victory.

The real winners are the Seljuks!

They defeated the powerful enemy at a small cost, greatly reducing the threat from Byzantium and even threatening the Byzantines in turn.

Of course, this didn't stop the Rum Sultanate's representatives from crying out loudly about their poverty and misery during the meeting of the Order, describing the price their country paid for being used as bait, the heavy casualties and material losses suffered by Smyrna during the war, and so on.

Anyway, I may not be able to do other things, but who wouldn’t cry miserably?

Of course, the Seljuks were the big winners, while others were smaller winners.

A large number of captured warships, weapons and equipment, prisoners...can all be sold for money!

Ferdinand thought in his heart as he came to the room of the grand master in front.

The Grand Master was sitting alone on the couch, his eyes half open, looking as if he was either asleep or meditating.

There was no one else in the room, and Ferdinand didn't dare to disturb them after he entered, so he just stood there.

After a long time, the Grand Master finally opened his eyes and looked over.

Although he looked like an old, dead tree, his gaze was like a sharp blade.

Prove that the old man's appearance is just a disguise.

"It's you, Ferdinand." The old man sighed deeply. "Sit down first."

Ferdinand found a seat at the side. Of course, his followers did not dare to sit, so they could only stand beside their master.

"Grandmaster, you seem to be in a bad mood?" Ferdinand asked.

"It's not good. This time... we suffered too much loss." The Grand Master sighed.

"More than half of the elite experts sent by the sect have been killed!"

"Warfare is a dangerous thing, and there are bound to be no casualties on the battlefield," Ferdinand consoled him. "Fortunately, the Byzantines suffered greater losses."

"We dispatched so many people, yet we still suffered such losses... Ferdinand, this is your responsibility!"

"It's my fault," Ferdinand admitted humbly. "But... Grandmaster, the Byzantines are truly formidable."

He knew very well that although the Grand Master talked about the loss of elite masters, he actually did not care about it.

Although the loss of elite masters is annoying, it is not irreplaceable.

The real irreparable loss was the death of two half-step protectors of the country.

According to the plan, one half-step protector of the country would go up to attract the prince's attention, while the other would launch a sneak attack and try to kill the opponent's main general in the battle.

Even if we can't kill it in battle, we will at least injure it severely.

In the end, both of them died together.

One was killed in public by the enemy, and the other took the opportunity to severely injure the target, but was hit by a stray bullet.

This is the bad thing about being on the battlefield. Even the most skilled masters cannot guarantee that they can avoid cold guns and arrows.

Even if it is to protect the country, it cannot withstand a bullet hitting a vital point.

"If we hadn't been so well prepared this time, we wouldn't have been able to achieve such a victory even if we had paid a greater price."

Ferdinand said.

He was not defending himself, but simply stating a fact.

"Right now, we don't have the power to attack Rhodes Island." The Grand Master sighed.

This is the trouble with the Order.

If it were a lord, he could make a decision with a single word, whether it was raising taxes or forcibly levying levies, to restore the military as quickly as possible. However, if it were a cult, it would take several years to gather enough strength to attack Rhodes Island.

"It doesn't matter. It will be impossible for Rhodes Island to restore its navy within three to five years," Ferdinand said.

"Besides, even if we restore them to the strength of a squadron, what will happen?"

To be honest, when it comes to the moment of decisive battle, there is no difference between having five warships and having fifteen or twenty warships.

Anyway, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, and the disparity in numbers made it impossible to engage in battle. Fighting would mean death.

Unless you have fifty or sixty warships, and restore to the level of the Knights' heyday with three or four squadrons.

This is a bit threatening, as the fleet must be eliminated before attacking the island.

But others may not understand the true level of the Knights Templar, but how could Ferdinand not understand?

On the surface, the Knights were short of ships, but even if the Church spent a large amount of money (which was basically impossible, of course), it would be useless to build enough ships within a year.

This is because as long as the force is expanded to a fleet, the current Knights will face the problem of lack of manpower.

There was also a lack of money - a lack of money to maintain the fleet.

It is a fantasy that the Church can provide a wave of relief, let alone provide unlimited financial support to the Knights Templar to allow the Knights Templar to maintain the strength of three or four squadrons?

If that were possible, the Knights would not have gradually declined.

Before, the Knights Templar was just an empty shell, relying entirely on a Grand Master who was the protector of the country to maintain its appearance.

Now, the facade is supported by a magic flag.

It seems that they can still hold up, but their nature is different. The former can make people retreat, while the latter will make people covet.

"Hey..." said the Grand Master. "I've already submitted an application for you."

Ferdinand's expression didn't change, but his body shook slightly.

"However, you will need to go to headquarters for further scrutiny by the elders," the Grand Master continued. "This is what I promised you. Unlike the Christians, who are prone to lying, we are extremely trustworthy. You killed a Christian half-step protector of the nation, so naturally I must give you this opportunity."

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency Grand Master," said Ferdinand.

He'd given everything for this opportunity, and now he had it.

"There's nothing we can do for now, so it's a good opportunity for you to go to headquarters," the Grand Master said. "Is there anything you need to specifically address here?"

"Right now, Smyrna is a weak point," Ferdinand said. "It will be a crucial springboard for attacking Rhodes in the future."

Anyone who has looked at a map knows that although the two places are not the closest, Smyrna is indeed a suitable base for attacking Rhodes due to the convenience of its port and the size of the city.

The city is large enough to support the logistical supplies needed for an army of tens of thousands or even more.

"Is Smyrna in any danger? The Byzantines have been defeated."

"Although the Byzantines were defeated, the city suffered heavy losses in the previous battle," Ferdinand said. "The situation at the time forced us to mobilize the civilian population and help with the slogan of holy war."

"During the battle, these civilians suffered heavy casualties. This also means that most of the devout believers in Smyrna have been killed, and the Christians may have the upper hand. Therefore, if a Christian army attacks, the city will not be able to hold out for long."

"I see what you mean...but who do you care about??"

"I don't know. Venice, perhaps? Genoa? Milan? France? England? It all seems possible."

Chapter 116 Counterattack Plan 3

After a long time, Ferdinand and his entourage left the room.

The Grand Master sat upright, and a figure suddenly appeared from behind the cabinet behind him.

A man whose clothes were very different from those of other people in the city. He was not tall but very strong.

Specifically, he was dressed more like a sailor than a warrior or a nobleman.

He wore a short jacket, long trousers, his hair was cut very short and he didn't wear a headscarf.

When Ferdinand was present just now, he was hiding behind the cabinet.

There is naturally a reason why he is treated this way.

After all, the Grand Master is only a religious spokesperson. He is the supreme leader in name but lacks actual military command ability.