Chapter 66 Chapter Thirty-Two

On the eve of Corpus Christi, the King went to Rajunza, an island in the Vistula, to hold talks with the Grand Master, which did not go well, and did not result in an agreement as was reached at the talks two years later.At that meeting two years later, the king took back from the Knights of the Crusader the province of Duborvor, the towns of Duborvor and the town of Bobrovnik, all of which were formerly occupied by Oborshik The duke cunningly mortgaged it to the Knights of the Crusaders.When Achaiaus arrived there, he was greatly indignant at the mention of the slanders which the Knights of the Crusaders had spread against him at the courts of the West, and even at Rome, and especially hated their cunning.The head of the group expressed his reluctance to negotiate the issue of Du Boerrun, which was deliberately pretentious.He and the other high priests of the order repeated to the Poles every day: "We do not want to fight you, nor Lithuania, but the Zimud is ours; it was given to us by Witout himself. If you promise If you don't help him, the war against him will be over quickly; then there will be time enough to talk about Duburzin, and then we will certainly make you many concessions." But the king's privy councilors were all People with keen eyesight, rich experience, and insight into the deceitful methods of the Knights will not be fooled. "If your strength increases, your courage will also increase," the ministers replied to the Grand Master. "You say you don't invade Lithuania at all, but you want to put Skilgero on the throne of Wilno; God is good! You know that is the kingship of Achaean, and only he can decide who will succeed Witout Be the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Therefore, I advise you to check yourself, otherwise, our great king will punish you."

The grand master replied: "If the king is the real monarch of Lithuania, then please order Witout to stop the war and return the kimud to the Knights, otherwise, the Knights will have to attack Witout's weakest place." This entangled dispute continued from morning to night, just like a wanderer wandering about, only to return to his original place.Unwilling to let himself be restrained in any way, the king became more and more impatient, and told the Grand Master that if the people of Shimud were happy under the Order of the Crusader, Witout would not even touch the Knights of the Crusader Order. For a moment, because how could he find an excuse or reason.The head of the regiment is calmer and more capable than other monastic knights. He goes all out to deal with this powerful Achaean old man, trying his best to please him, and ignores those irritated and arrogant "Kom" through" complaints.He spared no effort to curry favor, sometimes even groveling.But even with this servility, there are times when a threatening tone is unavoidable.There is no gain in this approach.Negotiations on the most significant events have broken down.The next day, they were busy with minor things.The king severely attacked the knights, saying that they supported the bandits, raided and robbed across the border, robbed the Jurands and their daughters and the little Yasik of Kryetkova, and killed farmers and fishermen.The grand master kept denying it, denying it in every possible way, and swore and swore that those things were done without telling him; and in turn accused that not only Witout, but even the Polish knights had helped the pagan Zumuds to come. Against the Crusader Knights.To prove this, and to strengthen his indictment, he cites the Macko incident at Bogdaniec.Fortunately the king had learned from Povara why the two knights of Bogdaniec were going to Zimud, and he dismissed the complaint without difficulty, especially since Zbyszko himself happened to be there, and Von Bae The two brothers were also there waiting for the opportunity to challenge the Polish knights to a contest.

But that too was fruitless.The Knights of the Crusader had intended, if the negotiations were successful, to invite the great king to Torrhenia; Both parties were very unhappy and angry, so they had no intention of having fun.What's more, the crusader knights lined up early in the morning to show their strength and ability.But even so the Poles are much stronger than the Germans, as the merry Duke Jamont says, because Povara of Tachev is stronger than Arnold von Peyton, and Oresny Zha's Dubco wields a spear better than anyone, while Tagovesco's Reese leaps over horseback with a single leap.

Zbyszko looked for an opportunity to negotiate the ransom with Arnold von Peyton.Because he was a powerful lord and his status was very prominent, De Lauche looked down on Arnold and opposed him, threatening to pay the ransom himself.But Zbyszko believes that this matter is related to the honor of the knight, and must be paid in full according to the original agreement. Therefore, even if Arnold wants to reduce the amount of this sum, De Rausch withdrew from it. He disagreed. Arnold von Payton was an ordinary man; his only merit was the infinite physical strength of his arms; he was honest though greedy for money.He did not have the cunning of the average crusader knight, which was why he was willing to reduce the ransom. "I'm not here to join the Grand Master's negotiations with your king," he said. "I've come to exchange prisoners. That way, you can get your uncle back without paying any price. Of course I'd like to have some." things, because I'm always short of cash. Often I don't even have enough money for three jugs of ale a day. Actually I have to drink five or six jugs, otherwise I'm very miserable." Zbyszko didn't like his words. "I won't lose you a penny, because I used my status as a knight as a guarantee. I don't want to bargain, and I want you to know our value." So Arnold held his hand tightly, Poland Both the knight and the crusader praised Zbyszko, saying: "Such a young man really deserves the title of a cavalier with a girdle and spurs, for he knows all about matters of honor and dignity."

At this time the King and the Grand Master were negotiating the exchange of prisoners, and in the course of the exchange some strange phenomena arose, which the bishops and ministers of the kingdom afterwards wrote to the Pope and to the foreign princes.The Poles did have many prisoners, hardy, sturdy men from the battles and encounters on the frontier.The captives in the hands of the Crusader Knights were mainly women and children, who were taken away at night for ransom.The Pope himself had expressed his own opinion, and in spite of the sophistry of John von Felt, the representative of the Knights of the Crusaders in Rome, publicly expressed his anger and indignation.

As for Macko, there were some difficulties.Although the head of the regiment did not really make it difficult, he deliberately made it difficult on the surface, in order to increase the weight of every step he took.He asserted that Macko, as a 'Catholic knight, helped the Shimuds against the Knights, and should be executed according to law.Although the king's councilors tried to plead what they knew about the Jurands and the dreadful tortures that the Knights had inflicted on them and on the Bogdaniec knights, , or in vain.Although the defender of the order admitted this, the Grand Master cited special reasons in his reply, as Princess Ziemowit once said to the old knight of Bogdaniec in almost exactly the same way:

"You call yourself sheep, and our people hungry wolves; but none of the four wolves that took part in the kidnapping of Miss Jurand has survived, and the sheep are still walking around safe and sound." This may be the case.But during the debate, Lord Tachev, who was present, replied: "Yes, but didn't all those slain wolves die with swords in their hands?" After hearing this, the head of the regiment was speechless.Then he saw the king's brow furrowed and his eyes gleaming, and he gave in immediately, for he really didn't want to make the king's anger explode.Later, they agreed that both sides would send envoys to receive the captives.The Poles appointed Sentram of Masikowitz, who wanted to take a closer look at the strength of the Crusader Knights. In addition, there were knights Povara and Zipi of Bogdaniec. Chico.

Zbyszko was very grateful to Prince Jamont for his help, because Duke Jamont spoke to the king on his behalf, saying that Zbyszko was young, and if he went there as the king's envoy, he would recognize him immediately. Uncle, bring him back.The king accepted the request of the young duke, because the duke was optimistic and easy-going by nature, and he was the favorite of the king and the whole court.Zbyszko thanked Jamont with all his heart, and now he was fully convinced that he could get his uncle back from the Knights of the Crusader. "No one will envy your relations with the king," said Zbyszko. "Because you have used your intimacy with the king to serve the public good as best you can; and there is no one with such a good heart, so to speak."

"I am content to be the king's entourage, but I would rather go to the battlefield and fight the crusader knights. You have already fought them, and I am really envious." After a short pause, he said again: "Liamto" von Winton of Togney, came yesterday; you are going to him this evening with the Grand Master and his retinue." "From there to Marlborough?" "yes." At this moment Duke Jamont laughed. "It's not far, but it's hard for them. The Old Germans have nothing from the king, and nothing from Witout. Perhaps he's gathering all Lithuania's strength to Shi Mude is marching."

"If the king helps him, there will be a great battle." "All our knights are praying to God. Although the king will not shed the blood of Catholics, he will give Witouter food and money, and besides, he will never prevent Polish knights from going there to serve as volunteers," "Yes, absolutely true," replied Zbyszko. "But the Knights will declare war on the king because of this." "Oh, no!" replied the Duke. "As long as their present Grand Master lives, there will be no war." He was right, Zbyszko had known the Grand Master for a long time, and now, on the way to Marburg, with Centram and Povara, he was often by the Grand Master's side, so he was able to observe carefully. Him, get to know him better.Along the way, he became even more convinced that Grand Master Konrad von Jungingen was not a bad person, nor was his heart bad.Of course, the head of the regiment often has to do something wrong, that's because the entire organization of the Knights Order is built on the basis of doing something wrong.He is also often domineering, that is because the entire organization of the Knights is built on the basis of domineering.He had to lie because lying had been inherited with the Grand Master's insignia, and he had grown used to it over the years as political maneuvering.But the Grand Master was not a cruel man; he feared the judgment of God, and often checked the arrogant and greedy prelates of the Order, who were bent on declaring war on Achaean.But the head of the group is also a weak person.The Knights have long been accustomed to ambush foreigners, plunder foreigners, and use force to plunder or annex neighboring places, so Conrad not only could not stop that kind of plundering ambition, but went against his will, followed the trend, and tried his best to cater to this behavior .

In the time of Wenlech von Kniprod, the iron discipline pursued by the Crusaders, which shocked the whole world, has long since become a thing of the past.Before Jungingen, that is Conrad.In the era when Huahe Rhodes was the head of the group, the Knights were already intoxicated with their own increasing power and arrogant.The Knights were blindly intoxicated with their own prosperity and the bloodshed of the people, so all the disciplines that had made it strong and unified were relaxed.The Grand Master tried his best to restrain the Knights from being law-abiding, and tried his best to reduce the iron-handed pressure of the Knights. This kind of pressure made the peasants and citizens under the Knights miserable, and even the priests and nobles could not bear it.In the suburbs of Marlborough, farmers or citizens not only boast of being well-fed, but also of being rich.But in the farther territories, "Komto" is still domineering, cruel and violent, trampling on the rights of the people, stepping up oppression and plundering, extorting taxes, extorting and exploiting the people, and even without excuses and plundered the people.People were squeezed to the point of tears and blood, and the groans of poverty and complaints could be heard everywhere.Even if sometimes for the benefit of the Knights (for example, sometimes in Zimud), the Grand Master ordered to rule more moderately, but such orders are tantamount to promulgating in vain, because "Komto" does not obey orders, and is naturally very cruel.Therefore, even though Konrad von Jungingen was a leader, he had to let nature take its course, ignore it, and resign himself to his fate.He was often overwhelmed by ominous omens, with prophecies like this in his mind: "I made them prosperous and put them on the borders of Catholic countries, but they turned against me. Because they didn't care about those Blindly converted to Catholicism and to the souls of the people, caring not for their bodies, not proclaiming the holy commandments of God, not administering the sacraments to the people, but making the people slaves, and making the people suffer eternal pain more than when they were pagans For pain. They fought to increase their income. One day their teeth will be knocked out, their right hand will be chopped off, and their right foot will be chopped off, so that they may know their sin." The Grand Master knew that the accusation against the Knights of the Crusader made by the mysterious voice in the apparition of St. Brigitte was true.He knew, too, that the days of this institution which oppresses foreigners, is established on foreign soil, and is sustained by hypocrisy, fraud, and cruelty, are not long.He feared that this institution, whose foundations had been washed away by the torrent of blood and tears of the people, would collapse if it could not withstand the combined blow of the Poles.He knew that the carriage drawn by the runaway horse would fall into the abyss and be smashed to pieces.So he had to do everything he could to delay the arrival of the wrath and punishment of the sky.For this reason, despite his effeminacy, he stood firm against those proud and tyrannical people who urged war against Poland.In vain they accused him of cowardice.Those "comto" stationed on the border tried their best to wage war in vain.The Grand Commander always puts out the flames of war when they are about to break out.So he thanked God in Marburg for preventing the sword that was on the neck of the crusader knight from falling off. Still, he knew that the end was inevitable.He realized that the Knights were not on the side of God's truth, but on the side of injustice and hypocrisy; he also realized that the Last Judgment Day was coming soon, so he felt that he was the most unfortunate person in the world.If he could turn the situation around and put the Knights of the Crusaders on the right path, he would not hesitate to shed his blood or sacrifice his life to change the status quo.But he knew it was too late.To take the right path is to give up all the riches and fertile lands acquired by the Knights, which God knows how long ago they possessed; and not only these lands, but many such rich as Gdansk city.Nay, it was necessary to give up Zemud, to give up the estates in Lithuania, to sheath the swords, and finally to withdraw from those lands altogether; in fact, the original owners of those lands were gone, and the crusading knights had no way of returning them to their original owners.Perhaps in the end the only way out was to go back to Palestine, or to settle on some Greek island and defend the cross of God there from the Saracens.But that would be unthinkable, because it would be tantamount to destroying the Knights.Who would agree to that?Which head of the regiment wants this?Conrad von Jungingen's soul and life were cast into darkness.Only a madman, lost in the dark, would advocate it.Therefore, we can only continue to move forward until the end appointed by God arrives. Therefore, although he was anxious and worried, he continued to move forward.His beard and hair had turned gray, and his bright eyes had been cast under the shadow of thick eyebrows.Zbyszko did not even once see his smile.His face was not stern, not even sad.But he is like a person who is tortured by hidden worries in his heart.On the contrary, he was wearing armor, with a cross hanging on his chest (there is a black eagle on the red square in the middle of the cross), and a large white cloak (there is also a cross on the cloak), looking majestic, dignified, and with Kind of melancholy.Conrad was originally a cheerful and easy-going person who liked to have fun. Even now he never misses big banquets, big scenes and martial arts; He had not the pleasure of being in the company of the illustrious knights who came to Marlborough as their guests, nor with the noisy, merry-go-round crowd, whether it was the blare of horns or the clang of weapons. , whether it is a VIP or a drunkard, he can't move his heart.When those around him feel great power, grandeur, riches, and power; when the emperors of Rome and the messengers of other kings of the West loudly proclaim that a single order of knights is capable of withstanding all kingdoms and world powers,— — Only he is not deluded, only he remembers the ominous words of St. Brigitte's apparition: "One day their teeth will be knocked out, their right hand will be chopped off, and their right foot will be chopped off , so that they may know their iniquity."