Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Chapter 206: Looking Back on the Past

Chapter 207 Recalling the Past

The wheels groaned, as if they were about to fall apart on this bumpy road at any moment.

The grain requisition team moved so slowly that a snail could overtake it and proudly glance back at it.

On either side of the carriage stood fully armed Polish mercenary heavy infantry, their chainmail and breastplates reflecting a dull light in the thin sunlight, their eyes darting around like startled rabbits beneath their helmets.

At the front and rear of the column were Polish cavalrymen clad in heavy armor, though their horses seemed somewhat unsteady at the moment, so nervous that even the snorting of their horses made them tremble.

The slightest rustling of wind, a startled pheasant, or a fallen twig can trigger a nervous commotion.

The crossbows were immediately raised and aimed at the innocent bushes or fields. Only when it was confirmed that there was nothing there except a few chirping sparrows did the troops reluctantly continue their snail-paced advance at the officer's low growl.

It can't be entirely blamed on their cowardice. After all, the previous grain requisition teams, composed of Hungarian lords and Cuman archers, went out looking respectable, but returned with half their supplies, which was considered a miracle, and often came back empty-handed.

The elusive Knights of the Silver Dawn and the enraged peasants lurked like ghosts among the forests and hills, specifically targeting any groups that came out to plunder.

The Hungarians huddled in their camp, too afraid to show their faces, while the Cumans shook their heads vigorously. Thus, this utterly unfortunate task, like a hot potato, ultimately fell on the shoulders of these Polish mercenaries.

The reason why these more than a thousand Poles in the military camp left their homes and followed King Sigismund of Hungary to wade into the murky waters of Bohemia can be traced back to the king's rather "interesting" early life.

Speaking of Sigismund, he can be considered an early example of the "son-in-law" phenomenon.

At the tender age of twelve, he was sent to Hungary to become the son-in-law of King Louis I. Louis I, who held the crowns of both Hungary and Poland, probably wanted to groom his son-in-law as a qualified successor, and imparted to him all sorts of ruling skills.

Logically, once the old king is summoned by God, Sigismund would naturally inherit the thrones of both Hungary and Poland, reaching the pinnacle of his life.

However, fate loves to play tricks.

King Louis the Elder probably felt that he had learned enough theoretical knowledge and needed to put it into practice, so he sent the thirteen-year-old Sigismund, whose ambition was already fermenting like bread, to Poland for "internship".

Upon arriving in Poland, the young prince immediately put his father-in-law's teachings to good use: he won over one faction, suppressed another, and even purged one when necessary, manipulating the Polish nobles at will, instigating infighting among them so that he could reap the benefits.

The effect was immediate; the nobles were indeed stirred up by his fervor and began to fight each other, igniting a civil war that spread throughout Poland.

The final battle arrived. If Sigismund could quell the chaos in one fell swoop, he would undoubtedly gain unparalleled prestige and power. Unfortunately, his war skills were terrible. In a battle he personally commanded, he lost so badly that he was almost stripped bare and could only flee back to Hungary in a disheveled and humiliating manner.

This infuriated Louis, the father-in-law, but since he was his son-in-law, he could only accuse him of "inciting rebellion."

This somewhat comical charge landed little Gigi in solitary confinement, making him reflect on his actions.

In 1382 AD, the old King Louis finally went to meet God, and Sigismund was released from his confinement.

He probably thought that his suffering was over and that he would finally be able to inherit the thrones of both Hungary and Poland, wipe away his previous humiliation, and realize his grand ambitions.

As a result, his shrewd mother-in-law, Elizabeth, completely outmaneuvered him.

The mother-in-law herself became the regent of Hungary, and put her eldest daughter, Marie, on the throne of Hungary; while her youngest daughter, Jadwiga, who was only nine years old, was sent to Poland to become queen.

Well, Sigismund has been busy for years, but he hasn't gotten either of the two thrones, making him an international laughing stock.

How can I swallow this insult?

So he went back to his hometown of Bohemia and lay low for two years. Then, with the help of the Luxembourg family, he returned to Hungary with murderous intent, staging a "return of the king." He kidnapped his mother-in-law, drove his wife insane, and finally succeeded in seizing the Hungarian throne, from then on calling himself King Gigi.

When King Gigi recovered and tried to reclaim the Polish throne, he found it was too late.

Grand Duke Jagewo of Lithuania, who was the same age as him, was a man of action. He played the "old cow eating young grass" trick, taking the lead in marrying his sister-in-law Jadwiga, who was only thirteen years old, and became the co-king of Poland.

A few years later, Queen Jadwiga died young at the age of eighteen, and Jagiełło seized power in Poland, calling himself the King of Poland.

In this era, Hungary bordered Poland, and both King Gygi and the Polish king insisted that they were the legitimate rulers of Poland, and each had a group of supporters within Poland.

This explains why King Gigi was able to so "smoothly" pull out a mercenary force of about a thousand men from Poland.

These people were motivated either by political identity or simply by the clinking of gold coins.

For example, the Gabo family on the Polish border was a staunch supporter of King Gigi.

The eldest son of the family, Zaviš Gabo, was the most outstanding among them. He studied under the Italian swordsmanship master Hippolyta, and his martial arts skills were unparalleled. He distinguished himself in jousting tournaments throughout Europe, including Brittany, Venice, Hungary, and Aragon, winning numerous championships. Because he always wore black armor and rode a black warhorse, he was nicknamed "The Black Knight."

However, although this Black Knight was incredibly successful in the tournament and earned a lot of prize money, his family had an extravagant hobby: building castles. Almost all of his tournament winnings went into the endless stone construction projects on his own territory, leaving him in a very poor financial situation.

This response to King Gigi's call was partly for political reasons, and partly because the generous commission was indeed hard to refuse.

So Zawis led his family's private army to join the invasion of Bohemia. With his superb martial skills and ruthlessness on the battlefield, he quickly distinguished himself and became the leader of this Polish mercenary group.

If things had followed that predetermined course of fate, the Black Knight Zavish would have continued to travel and fight within the Holy Roman Empire with his mercenary group after King Gigi withdrew from the mess in Bohemia, earning dinars or groschens.

It was during this period that he came into contact with and was deeply influenced by the teachings of that priest Jan Hus, which was also a cruel joke played on him by the goddess of fate.

In 1408, he answered the call of His Majesty Sigismund to participate in the crusade against Bosnia. By 1409...

In 1900, rumors spread that a great war was about to break out between Poland and the Teutonic Knights. The Black Knight resolutely refused King Gigi's "affectionate" entreaties and decisively returned to his homeland to fight alongside the other Polish knights.

In the Battle of Grinwald in 1410, a decisive battle for the Polish-Lithuanian alliance, Zawis fought alongside another renowned mercenary, the one-eyed Jan Žižka. On that blood-soaked battlefield, Zawis slew Arnold the Giant, the champion knight of the Teutonic Knights, known for his bravery and strength, and personally seized the enemy's standard, making a significant contribution to the victory. From then on, he was revered as a national hero by the Polish people.

Later, the myth of his "two hundred undefeated duels" even circulated. Of course, this was mostly an artistic exaggeration based on the public's love for him, like adding an extra spoonful of honey to ale.

But what truly made him famous throughout Europe was his actions in 1415. When Jan Hus was arrested by the Roman Catholic Church, Zawis, on behalf of the Polish knights, lodged a fierce protest with the Papacy and actively campaigned for his rescue. He even personally visited the heretical leader in prison. Jan Hus expressed his gratitude for this in a letter written before his death.

In 1416, the thirty-five-year-old Xavier once again accompanied King Gigi, to whom he served, to Perpignan. There, he had a jousting contest with the future King of Aragon, John II of Aragon. This young general, only eighteen years old, was said to be able to lift a cauldron and raise his own warhorse with his bare hands, making him an absolute strongman.

However, even such a fierce warrior ultimately fell to Zawish. After this battle, Zawish's reputation as "unparalleled in the world" resounded throughout Europe, making him the undisputed pinnacle of martial prowess in that era.

However, ironically, a few years later, the Hussite Wars broke out. Despite his sympathy for the Hussites' claims, Zawish, who was bound by his knightly oath, chose to pledge allegiance to Sigismund and joined the army that was suppressing the Hussites.

This might be what is called "your position determines your perspective," or to put it more chivalrously, "a vow is more important than an ideal."

December 21, 1421, is a day worth remembering. Zawish and Jessica, former comrades-in-arms who fought side by side in Grinwald, met on the battlefield.

This is a duel between the myth of "unbeatable in one-on-one combat" and the legend of "unbeatable in battle".

However, thanks to the "superior" command buff of our wise King Gigi, the Black Knight was decisively defeated. He became a prisoner of the old people of the flail.

Surprisingly, Jetska, who traditionally executed high-ranking enemy generals, showed mercy this time and released him after demanding a large ransom.

This defeat was like a stain, tarnishing the honor the Black Knight cherished as his life. For many years afterward, he remained silent, unwilling to participate in the war against the Hussites, perhaps reflecting on how fatal the choice to follow the wrong leader had been.

In 1428, King Gigi's restless heart began to beat again, and he took the initiative to invade Serbia, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Zawish, as commander, led a light cavalry force of five hundred men and joined King Gigi's crusade.

But the battle was a disaster. They were utterly defeated by an obscure Ottoman local warlord in Golubac on the Danube.

King Gigi's army suffered a crushing defeat, and the king himself nearly met his end. He was forced to retreat hastily to the other side of the Danube. However, there were very few ferries available, and the scene was chaotic, like something out of apocalypse.

The valiant Zawish took on the crucial task of covering the rear, leading his troops in a desperate effort to cover the main force's retreat.

Although King Gigi was incompetent in battle and often made mistakes in important matters, he was still quite reluctant to part with a valiant general of Zawish's caliber. Therefore, His Majesty the King personally sent someone to urge him to board the ship and evacuate.

However, perhaps it was the series of defeats, especially this major rout under King Gigi's "wise" leadership, that made Zawish feel utterly disappointed in his lord.

He refused the order to retreat and uttered the famous, tragic quote that has been passed down through the ages: "No ship is large enough to carry my honor!"

In the end, Zawish and his loyal men died heroically amidst the deafening gunfire of the Ottomans.

If you calculate it that way, it seems that this Black Knight has never won any battles as long as he's been by King Gigi's side.

Indeed, sometimes choice is more important than effort; following the wrong boss can ruin your life.

At this moment, Zawish is serving King Gigi, and he is about to face a major battle.

Life is like walking on thin ice; will he be able to reach the other side?