Road to the Crown

Chapter 273: Senate summons

15th August 1574

"You may enter the Senate Hall!"

Just the way in which I was treated at the gate right now, stood in huge contrast to how I was received the last time I visited Krakow. Rather than forcing me to wait for an extended period of time just for the sake of making the receiving party feel better about themselves, as soon as I slowly made my way towards the huge doors of the senate hall, the two ceremonial guards that stood on its side instantly announced my entry and opened huge wooden wings right in front of me.

Moving forward, I finally felt what kind of situation I was in. It wasn't anything stressful or great. I was just the type of person who would get excited over any little thing, only to fail to notice almost any change once I achieved something. Just like back when I moved from the primary to the middle school, I had to actually say my goodbyes to that school as I moved to the high school just to feel the pathos of being a middle-schooler!

And this was exactly what was happening to me right now. For the first time since I appeared in this world, I felt as if I was finally in the place that I was supposed to be. 

Walking past two rows of chairs set on both of the longer sides of the room, I could feel the gazes of the old geezers, who currently held nearly the absolute power within the country, as long as one discounted all the privileges that your average noble could claim for themselves.

After moving past the half of the length of this luxuriously furnished room, I moved my sight towards the front, where just below the throne, a seat like any other present in the room was occupied. But rather than spotting a polish noble there, a high-ranking bishop, Commonwealth primate was relaxing in the regent's chair, as per the rules of the interregnum implemented before Henry's elections.

"Welcome to the Senatorial Hall, Sir Mike. I hope the necessary travel didn't bother you all that much."

Not even bothering to stand up, the primate reached forward with his right hand, decorated with several golden rings. Just a single look at the jewellery he was wearing made my killing intent go through the roof. 

Even though I knew that most of those rings had some kind of meaning behind them, from being a bishop, through all the other positions that he wielded, but in the current times of war, every single red golden mattered! While I knew that smelting those rings just for the sake of mining a few coins would be a huge loss, selling them at a premium price could still easily pay for the formation of a small military unit!

"It's my honour to be invited here."

Unwilling to make things easier for those people who I didn't really have that good opinion on my own, I slowly moved towards the Primate's chair, before ostentatiously showing all the pain and troubles I had in order to kneel on one knee before reaching for the bishop's hand, bringing it closer to my mouth and placing a light kiss on top of his Primate's ring.

"Men, for the love of almighty, what are you waiting for? Can' t you see that this nobleman is injured? Fetch him a chair, right now!"

Maybe it was supposed to be a sign of favour, or maybe it was actually nothing more than just a human kindness, but no matter which one of those reasons was the real prompt behind this order, I still smiled lightly. Even if it wasn't all that important, I still managed to put those high damned nobles on the spot, claiming this little victory for myself!

"Thank you for your kindness, your excellency!"

As much as it pained me to actually follow the proper protocol in the dire times that the commonwealth was currently in, there was nothing I could do about it. While irritating in itself for someone as busy as me, the loss of those few minutes that we would surely spend on just exchanging the pleasantries and following the social etiquette was of no importance in the grand scheme of things.

Moving up, I still had to support myself on the crane. With just about two weeks of recovery, plagued with my constant activity that started as soon as my body was capable of handling it, I would still require at least a month or two before - if lucky - I could cast aside this supporting tool. But as strange as it might sound, despite the usage of cranes being an extreme rarity in Commonwealth of the current times, I could tell how greatly it changed my image in the eyes of the people gathered in the room!

"Since we are all here, let's not waste any more time. We invited you here, noble sir, with three matters that we wanted to discuss with you. But with the news that reached our hall just before your arrival, I'm worried that the number of topics for today will have to be extended by two more."

Casting a glance at the Primate, I barely managed to stop myself from forming a smug grin. It wouldn't take a genius to deduce what was one of those new topics, with how the commotion caused by my arrival spread to the entire city before I could even reach half of the distance that separated the city gates from my destination. As for the other topic, while I could guess what it could be, without the proper knowledge about how much my lands were infested with both local and foreign spies, I was unable to accurately pinpoint what raised Senate's attention.

"Respectable sirs, while I'm quite tired after the long and perilous journey I had to take in order to reach this place, for as long as my body allows, I'm all your for the questioning."

Without the proper police force operating on the strict set of rules and protocols, 'questioning' words have yet to grow this negative connotation that modern folk would attribute it with. But rather than just a slip of a tongue, it was actually a small ploy on my side, aimed at pushing the buttons of anyone who could potentially come from the future just like me!

"Since that's the case, let's move to the first and most pressing topic at this moment. It has come to our attention, that you are forming quite a formidable force in your lands. While it turned out to be of extreme importance in view of the current state of country affairs, I'm worried that unless you can convince us otherwise, we will have to limit the number of troops that you will be able to muster. I hope for your understanding on this matter. In the light of the recent Ostros family treason, we can't allow the existence of a powerhouse of the scale that you are reported to aim to create."

Hearing this lengthy introduction, I could only gnash my teeth. I knew that this moment would come sooner or later, but reaching it still managed to put me on the spot. No matter what I would say here unless I officially announce my willingness to reform the entire country and either serve as the greatest helper for the future king or attempt to take the crown for myself, there was simply no way I would be allowed to form any unit bigger than a division, not to speak about a proper army!

"Respectable sirs, let me get one thing straight. I do honestly believe that in the current state, our bellowed Commonwealth only has a few years, or up to a century to live before the foreign powers would forcefully nibble away at our lands, population at wealth. I'm worried that our current mindset formed by our prosperity might spell the doom for our sons and grandsons. That's why, with how many riches my lands are capable of producing, I am aiming at creating a military strong enough to defend our lands against the foreign invasions. As you can see from the current situation at the eastern front, we are no longer capable of defending ourselves by relying on the worthless common summons anymore!"

While the idea behind the common summons was initially great, the times where it had any worth ended with the shift of the field nobility to the landed nobility. Even though the militaristic pathos still existed within the ranks of the nobles, in the near future, no amount of bravery and personal skill would be capable of standing toe to toe with proper training and discipline!

Just like first world war tactics and arms would be useless during the second world war, so was the medieval system of common summons pointless against a properly organised army, or even massive but unskilled force that muscovites used to break through our borders!

"Noble sir, while your worry about the wellness and safety of our motherland is commendable, your attempts to guess the future They are nothing more than ramblings of an insane man!"

This time, rather than the primate himself, one of the relatively young senators stood up from his chair, before pointing his finger at me with an angry grin on his face. It was no wonder that my words caused such a reaction, and it by no mean indicated that this particular man didn't want to protect the country. With how they had the luxury to govern the entire country during the absence of the King if I were to point out at their efforts and call them not only useless but disastrous in reality, their pride was bound to act up!

"Senator Jacwin, if my memory serves me right. I honestly do understand your mindset, but I would like to point out one thing. While you speak out of the experience of the ages past, my words are backed by the current events. Unless you can show me a force that will be able to march out against the muscovites within a week of time, that will have realistic chances of not only stopping the invasion itself but pushing the war towards the enemy territory as to ascertain that no further aggression will be possible in the coming years, then as painful as it must be to hear that, I will have to call your words a slander!"

I knew it. There was no way to avoid the conflict with some of the senators. But at this point, I couldn't really be bothered with it. After wrongfully branding me as a traitor, it would be way harder for them to actually pin any blame on me without any real evidence. If they were to do so, the entire noble state would rise up against their tyranny! And with all the projects that were currently going on in my lands, I didn't need to worry about any personal retaliation of the senators themselves!