If one were to describe the foreign policy of Anna's father, Emperor Alexios I of Rome, the phrase "lion's body with a fox's head" would be perfectly fitting.
He would face unavoidable battles with lion-like courage, but in all other cases, he never hesitated to employ fox-like cunning schemes.
Of course, he couldn't give his all to every battle when the previous emperor had cut the empire's power in half, but seeing him now plotting to use the Crusaders to recover Anatolia even after the empire had regained some stability, it seemed fair to say that the man himself was simply specialized in such manipulations.
"A way to recover Nicaea without significant losses...?"
At least one thing was clear—the Emperor was deeply interested in reclaiming lost territories. That's where I found my opening.
Call it the "I have superior military abilities than Nikephoros, so I don't need such a man!" operation.
My thinking was that if I demonstrated exceptional capabilities not only in domestic affairs but also on the battlefield, the Emperor wouldn't use me merely for a marriage alliance.
"It seems our Anna is tired from the long banquet. Guard, escort the Princess to her chambers."
"Huh? No, Father! At least let me hear about the strategy..."
"Hmm, we shall discuss it again tomorrow."
Bang—!
If one of men's common lies is "Let's have a meal together sometime," another would be "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
As I unconsciously clenched my fist, Haakon, the guard who had pulled me out of the office, grinned and addressed me.
"We meet again, Princess."
"Ah, right."
Of course, I wasn't one to give up so easily. What matters is an unbreakable spirit.
I nodded halfheartedly at Haakon's greeting and quickened my pace to formulate my next plan.
"If you'd like, I could listen to your story, Princess."
For some reason, that blond Varangian fellow was following closely behind me.
But who has time to converse with a mere guard? I replied without even looking back.
"No. Get lost."
"Haha, as rumored, the Princess has quite a sharp tongue."
As rumored... So he must be new to the guard.
Come to think of it, he was indeed an unfamiliar face for someone guarding the Emperor's office.
"What, do you have a fetish for being insulted?"
"Hardly. I just happen to have some interest in discussing military strategy."
"Ha, a mere foot soldier like you discussing strategy?"
"Well, I might be an ordinary soldier in Miklagard, but in my homeland, I could be a lord's son, couldn't I?"
Ah, I see.
Indeed, a mere farmer wouldn't be so proficient in Greek.
"You seem to have learned Greek well, but apparently not the empire's protocols."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that a guard like you shouldn't casually address a princess. Unless you want to lose something."
I made a scissoring gesture with my fingers. While staring directly at his lower body.
Haakon looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, then laughed heartily and said:
"That'll make for a good story when I return home. I'll say I left my balls in the care of a princess in that distant foreign land of Miklagard."
"Wow, you really don't back down. A true Viking indeed."
Every time I deal with these Varangians, I think their mental state is exactly like that of middle school boys in South Korea. Addicted to dopamine and dying for sex jokes.
But...
"Fine, I'll specially share my strategy with you this once."
I actually rather liked that boldness.
When someone who lived as a Korean man for over 20 years suddenly receives princess treatment, one misses such raw interactions.
Besides, I wasn't entirely opposed to having my strategy evaluated by a properly educated noble's son.
"First, we can't mobilize too many central forces right now when we need to protect imperial subjects from the barbaric Latins."
In actual history, except for Godfrey, there weren't major conflicts between the Crusaders and the empire, but that was partly because most imperial forces were stationed in the Balkan Peninsula, preventing the Crusaders from causing problems.
"So what I'll use are those 'People's Crusade' folks who are just idly consuming food in the empire."
"...You mean those country bumpkin farmers?"
"I'm not sure who's calling who a country bumpkin. But yes, those farmers."
Among the First Crusade, Hugh, the brother of the French king, arrived in Constantinople first, but before him, there was an army—or rather, a crowd—that set out for the Holy Land under the guidance of a cult-like cleric called "Peter the Hermit."
Known as the Zeroth Crusade or the People's Crusade, in actual history they immediately crossed into Anatolia and were massacred, but here they were quietly consuming provisions near Adrianople under my patronage, waiting for the main Crusader force.
"Did you shelter them from the beginning to use them as mercenaries?"
"No, I originally gathered them to settle in Anatolia after its recovery. Now that circumstances have changed, I'll gladly use them as military force."
It was a workforce of about 20,000 people that I had gathered by spending all my earnings from horse racing and wrestling to feed them.
They were closer to a band of beggars than an army, but their numbers were not to be underestimated.
"But Princess, war isn't simply a matter of numbers. No matter how many troops you have, it won't be easy to withstand the elite cavalry of the Turks."
"Who do you take me for, a fool? Of course I'm not suggesting we just charge in. I have my own meticulous plan."
About 20 years ago, the kebab... I mean, the Seljuks were able to annihilate the Eastern Roman army at Manzikert thanks to their infamous swarm tactics.
To explain it using Korean folk games, no matter how strong a Zealot (the empire's heavy infantry) might be, it can't easily catch a controlled Wraith (kebab's mounted archers).
Of course, things would be different if there were numerous Ultras (heavy cavalry) that could easily withstand the Wraith's attacks, but the empire, having just begun its revival, couldn't afford such luxury yet.
Not to mention the People's Crusade, who were little more than a band of beggars.
"So, I'm planning to deploy archers on a large scale for a shooting battle."
Therefore, what I would use were neither Zealots nor Ultralisks, but Marines—and a tremendous number of them at that.
"A shooting battle against mounted archers with shorter range... Theoretically, you're not wrong, Princess. But archery isn't a skill one can master overnight. To become a skilled archer, one must dedicate at least several years to training..."
"I know that already! Of course I've taken that into account."
I made a gun shape with my thumb and index finger, smiling.
"All soldiers will be armed with crossbows."
Unlike bows, which require months of training just to properly draw the bowstring, crossbows were very easy to master.
Pull, aim, and pull the trigger—that's it.
The long loading time was a drawback, but once loaded, even a 10-year-old child could aim accurately, making it quite simple.
"But Princess, crossbows require more labor to make than bows, so securing them in large quantities won't be easy."
"Don't worry, our Genoese friends will provide the crossbows."
Thanks to Alexios I's suspicious love for Venice, the Venetian rival merchants of Genoa naturally formed deep relationships with me.
And Genoa was also the homeland of the legendary Genoese crossbowmen who would gain fame throughout Western Europe for the next three hundred years.
Of course, those money-loving merchants wouldn't provide crossbows for free, but they promised that if I paid the "right price," they could secure about 5,000 crossbows within a month.
"Of course, I'll have to empty my private funds... but now is not the time to be picky."
I concluded with a self-deprecating smile.
"I didn't realize your wealth was so substantial, my lady."
"Well, you'd be surprised how well championship belts sell to kids. And horse racing is a sport any cultured imperial subject would enjoy."
"But there's controversy that gladiatorial combat promotes excessive violence, and horse racing fosters gambling addiction that sickens civil society."
"No one's holding a sword to their throats forcing them to participate, are they?"
"Hmm, so that's your perspective."
"What does it matter... Wait, what the hell?! Who are you?!"
My heart... my heart nearly dropped.
Startled, I turned my head to see Nikephoros smiling at me.
"You may go now. I'll escort the Princess from here."
"...Yes, understood, sir."
Haakon glanced at me briefly, then hurried away.
Once he had completely disappeared from view, Nikephoros spoke in a gentle voice.
"I didn't realize my lady was so talkative."
"You, I told you not to call me 'my lady.' And Haakon was in the middle of a conversation with me! What right do you have to send him away?"
"Hmm, was he conversing with the Princess? I merely sent back a guard who had overstepped his duties."
"What nonsense..."
The words "that's bullshit" rose to my throat, but a sudden realization crossed my mind—perhaps he was deliberately ignoring the barbarian who was speaking alone with the Princess without knowing his place.
"Sigh, so how much of my 'monologue' did you overhear?"
If my guess was correct, there was no need to press further.
I nodded once and reluctantly changed the subject.
"Almost all of it."
"Ha, so you were following me?"
"Of course not. It's just that the Princess has such a loud voice."
He replied nonchalantly, then continued with a slightly more serious expression.
"I didn't know the Princess was interested in strategy as well as domestic affairs."
"Ah, right."
"With that strategy, we could certainly recover Nicaea. It's a completely different approach from what the empire has tried so far."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you know."
"Flattery? I'm merely honestly evaluating the Princess's tactics as an imperial general."
"...Hmm."
Come to think of it, this guy was quite a renowned general, wasn't he?
Even if I disliked him, being praised for my tactics by one of the most distinguished generals of this era was certainly pleasing.
"Do you really think it's a good tactic?"
"Yes, since recovering Nicaea would require winning just one battle. ...And it's about time we utilized those Frank serfs under the Princess's protection."
He muttered almost absentmindedly.
Looking at the path I had walked, he continued in a calm voice.
"I will convey the Princess's plan to His Imperial Majesty. With my own refinements added, of course."
Huh? He'll tell the Emperor? Really?
That was truly unexpected. With wide eyes, I asked incredulously:
"Are you sure that's okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know that if this expedition succeeds, I'll ask Father to break off our engagement."
It wasn't anything new. Just a few hours ago, I had directly told him I disliked this marriage.
"It doesn't matter."
But Nikephoros answered calmly without even raising an eyebrow.
What is this... is he really a good guy?
With a hint of suspicion, I emphasized once more:
"Don't think I'll look at you differently because of this."
If he thought he could earn a "I'll acknowledge you as my fiancé!" from the Princess for something like this, he was sorely mistaken.
"Yes, I understand."
Nikephoros still replied in a composed voice.
After staring at my face for a moment, he smiled faintly and turned away.
"I simply strive to serve the empire."
His voice that followed also betrayed no hidden intentions.