A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

Take these silver coins. Your merciful Lord hopes you can endure these difficult times.

They pray to God with devotion, hoping these gifts will lessen your suffering!

May you be safe and healthy! May God’s grace be with you! May you live a blessed life under their protection!

For they know full well that the prosperity of Tuscany comes from you! The honor of the Canossa Clan comes from you! And the renown of the Marquis comes from you!”

”Our thanks to the merciful Lord! May God grant him eternal blessings!”

”May God bless our Marquis! His charity will be remembered by God!”

”Pisa will forever be loyal to Canossa! Forever loyal to the Marquis of Tuscany!”

”...”

After distributing all the silver coins from the bag, Eric stepped aside, pulling Belem and Otto with him.

He handed Otto a silver insignia engraved with a lily—the symbol of Florence.

”It’s your time to perform, Otto. You are now Antonio, a nobleman from Florence. Go see Giacomo de’ Lanfranchi and feel him out. If I’m not mistaken, Florence must be in contact with Cesare, plotting to rebel against Tuscany. Perhaps more cities are involved in the rebellion. Their resolve is likely quite strong—I suspect Cesare’s death is connected to them.”

”I’ll do my best, but don’t expect too much from me.” Otto clutched the insignia, wondering how Eric had gotten his hands on it.

”Don’t worry, you just need to play the part. No one cares what you can actually get out of him,” Eric said, patting Otto’s shoulder.

”What do you mean?” Otto asked, not quite understanding.

”The performance is for this one,” Eric said, glancing at Rolando on Belem’s shoulder. ”If he really cares as much about the Pisans as he claims and opposes Pisa being dragged into a war, he might prove useful.”

”Seriously? But this guy seems completely clueless. He’s been kept in the dark, and he’s as naive as an idiot,” Belem questioned.

”I’d prefer it if he were a simple-minded fool. It would make him much easier to use. As I was saying, Cesare’s blatant provocations against Tuscany make it highly likely he was in contact with the Emperor.

And Matilda told me that the Lanfranchi Bank is having cash flow problems—its expenses exceed its income. The bad loan made to the Marquis of Milan can’t be collected, and the payment he did manage to scrape together was stolen by a mob in Milan.

Based on our investigations in Pisa over the last two days and the reactions of the citizens, this all seems to be true. The Lanfranchi Bank has even started to forcibly collect on small, undue loans.

This indicates the Lanfranchi Bank is at its breaking point. And that’s not to mention his old rivals in Pisa City, Simone and the Scalara Clan, are ready to overthrow his rule at any moment.

”To protect his ancestral holdings and the Lanzafame family, Cesare had to take a desperate gamble: align himself with the Emperor. He planned to use the Emperor’s army to crush all opposition in Pisa, seize total control, and make himself a tyrant.” Eric finished, looking at Belem.

”If he needed to violently purge his rivals, why not hire mercenaries? Or ask Tuscany for help?” Belem asked.

”Every action needs a pretext. Even a violent purge requires a legitimate reason. He can’t rely on an army to maintain his rule forever. That would be incredibly expensive and make governing difficult.

And the Pisans have always wanted to break free from Tuscan control.

He could blame the purge of his opponents entirely on Tuscany, claiming they were colluding with the Tuscans and trying to sell out Pisa.

He, Cesare, would be the hero who saved Pisa from the hands of the hated Tuscans. The Emperor can’t keep his forces south of the Alps for long. Once his army withdraws, Pisa will achieve de facto independence.

The Emperor only requires Pisa’s nominal allegiance, whereas Matilda wants it all,” Eric continued.

”Are all you Italians like this? Do you spend all your energy on these schemes?” Belem looked at Otto, unable to comprehend. ”No wonder your armies are so pathetically weak. Only a tiny bit better than the Greeks.”

”You’re right. Except for me,” Otto said with a shrug, then added, ”Italians dislike bloodshed. We hate actual, honest-to-God war. We much prefer the performance of it.”

Eric turned to Belem.

”Belem, take Rolando back to the Lanfranchi Mansion. Make sure he wakes up while Otto is speaking with his brother, Giacomo. Get the timing right.”