Faced with such a direct threat from Li Chengdao, the Pope felt powerless from the bottom of his heart.
The Church's believers were his last bargaining chip. Now that he had lost this only bargaining chip, what else could he rely on?
What terrified him the most was Li Chengdao's attitude towards the 200,000 captives.
That was 200,000 lives!
"You devil!"
The Supreme Pontiff looked at Li Chengdao's cold expression and spoke with difficulty. There was an unconcealable fear in his tone.
Li Chengdao didn't say anything, only calmly looking at the Supreme Pontiff.
As long as the latter dared to say no, he would immediately order the slaughter of the 200,000 captives!
He had the courage!
Such an indifferent attitude made the Pope feel even more threatened.
He knew that his decision would affect the future of the entire Church, so he was extremely hesitant.
"If I agree, then the Church will become a vassal of the royal family from now on, and it will no longer be able to have its former glory."
"But if I refuse, this lunatic will really kill all those captives and completely destroy the Church!”
The Pope's eyes were filled with struggle, thinking about the pros and cons and what choice he should make.
Time passed, minute by minute. Only a quarter of an hour had passed, but to the Pope, it felt as long as a hundred years.
"I agree!"
The Pope said with difficulty.
These three short words seemed to have exhausted all of his energy.
In the end, he chose to compromise.
Li Chengdao's iron blood and courage made him feel fear.
He couldn't just sit back and watch the 200,000 Crusaders die, nor could he watch the Church be destroyed in his hands!
If they compromised with Li Chengdao, the Holy See would at least be able to continue to exist even though it would have to submit to the royal family.
However, if he were to refuse, then once Li Chengdao's various methods were implemented, the Church would completely disappear from history in a few decades!
"Very good, you made the right choice.”
Li Chengdao was very satisfied with the Supreme Pontiff's answer, and the cold expression on his face disappeared.
Of course, he had the ability to completely destroy the Holy See, but that would take too much time. He could not afford to wait.
Therefore, it would be best if the Pope could agree to his request.
"Your Majesty, I can agree to your request, but I have a condition that I hope you can agree to.”
The Pope stood up shakily and looked at Li Chengdao with a pleading expression.
"Tell me, if it's not too much, I can agree.”
Li Chengdao nodded slightly.
A big stick and a sweet date, this was the eternal way of controlling subordinates.
The Pope hesitated for a moment before saying,""Your Majesty, you must kill the members of the royal family of the Roman Empire, but please let the queen and Princess Anna go.”
"Hmm?"
Li Chengdao was somewhat stunned, then he looked at the Supreme Pontiff with a strange expression.
This Pope was not an ordinary person. He actually put a hat on the Roman Emperor?
Wang Gui and Wei Zheng also felt that their worldviews were being destroyed. They both shook their heads and sighed.
The aristocratic circle was really chaotic.
Seeing their reactions, the Pope knew that they were thinking the wrong thing, so he quickly explained,""It's not what Your Majesty thinks. The Empress is my daughter."
Li Chengdao finally understood. He coughed awkwardly, then regained his dignity and his expression became serious.
"I can spare the Empress and Princess Anna.”
"But the other members of the royal family, including the Empress's male descendants, Zhen will not leave a single one alive!“
If you don't get rid of the roots, the grass will grow again in the spring breeze.
After leading the army for ten years, Li Chengdao knew this very well. He was never a soft-hearted person.
It was not a problem to keep the two women behind. He could just put them under house arrest, but he would definitely not let go of all the men in the royal family!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Pope was so excited that tears streamed down his face as he said gratefully.
He had never thought of keeping his grandchildren because he knew that it was impossible.
No emperor would tolerate the existence of the royal bloodline of the previous dynasty.
He was already very surprised that such a cold and iron-blooded Li Chengdao could agree to let the Empress and Princess Anna live. How could he dare to ask for more?
The Pope put down the golden scepter in his hand and bowed to Li Chengdao.
This time, he knelt on both knees.
Li Chengdao nodded." I'll leave it to you to arrange my identity and explain it to the people."”
"Do as I ask, and the Church will be safe. The Empress and Princess will also be safe. I promise in the name of the Emperor.”
His tone was sonorous, revealing a convincing power.
The Pope kowtowed deeply and then retreated.
This time, his footsteps were very relaxed when he left, as if he had lifted a heavy burden.
After the Pope left, Li Chengdao looked at Wang Gui and Wei Zheng and smiled.""Isn't the problem solved?"
Wei Zheng sighed and said,"I never thought that His Majesty would be able to make the Church submit.”
Only now did he understand what Li Chengdao was planning to do. He wanted to use the Holy See to rule the people of the country!
Although the Great Qian Empire had replaced Byzantine in ruling the Mediterranean region, the people of the old kingdom were still hostile to the Great Qian Empire.
Because the Byzantine Empire was ruled by God, the royal family of the Byzantine Empire was recognized by the Holy Church.
Therefore, the people who believed in the Holy Church only believed that the Byzantine Empire was the rightful ruler and the Great Qian Empire was an invader.
Even though they had submitted to the military power of Great Qian Empire, they were still very resistant to the various decrees of Great Qian Empire, not to mention collecting provisions for the eastern expedition.
However, as long as he could rope in the Holy See and make them acknowledge the orthodoxy of the Great Qian Empire, he would be able to rule over all the people.
The biggest contradiction was that the Holy See wanted to be above the imperial power, while Li Chengdao wanted to be above the Holy See.
The contradiction between the two was irreconcilable. Even though Great Qian Empire had established a country, it was difficult for it to develop.
But no one expected that Li Chengdao would actually force the Pope to yield today!
"Now that the Church has surrendered and acknowledged the royal family, it will be controlled by His Majesty from now on and will never rise again!”
Wang Gui was in a good mood. He stroked his beard and smiled." Your Majesty is really a god!”
Li Chengdao smiled and said,""Please pay more attention to this matter and ensure that there are no accidents. I still do not completely trust the Pope.”
Wang Gui and Wei Zheng stopped smiling and said seriously,""Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will pay close attention to the movements of the Church.”
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