Volume 4 - Chapter 4 - A nuisance to be eliminated ...

| Morning of December 15th - 1248 - The provisional throne room of Acre Castle - Attila |

After everyone has left the throne room, a thought I already know continues to assail me.

As soon as I became King of Jerusalem, I could no longer be calm.

Managing a kingdom in a video game and managing a real one is another story.

Strategic and management video games are among the most difficult genres and they are for a very specific reason.

You have to take into consideration many factors: money, people's happiness, respect for the people around you, army, territory, resources, diplomacy and managing a pitched battle.

But there are no video games that encompass all these things in one, each game focuses on one aspect in particular.

For example, the Crusader Kings series focuses on the dynasty, the relationship between you and your subjects, palace games and diplomacy.

The Total War series, on the other hand, leaves out most of these things and focuses on the army and field campaigns that you can lead yourself.

And many others deal with slightly different topics, but the fact remains that to rule a real kingdom you have to know how to do all these things if not more.

No factors are appearing to you on the screen you can rely on.

Sure, theoretically you have ministers helping you out, but no one forbids them from being spies at some point.

There is no general happiness index of the entire population, how people feel I have to know by asking them or be informed.

But for example, suppose 99% of the population loves me, there is still the 1% who could carry out a coup by killing me. In a video game, it could never happen, as my approval rating would be sky-high, but in real life, it is very different

Or, suppose I make some reforms. In a video game, my orders will be applied without question. But in real life, if I do reforms, they will indeed be implemented, but there will always be someone who may not.

And what about the army? If I create troops in a video game they will stay there, ready for my order. But armies are made up of people, and they can grow old. It is by no means certain that they will remain the same over the years. And if I had to increase the troops, it would mean that I would have to take away the labour force from the fields and families, this would create discontent among the population.

To sum it up, the knowledge I have of video games is useful but not that much.

I will have to learn how to effectively govern.

For now, I only have two ministers, one from finance and one from education.

This means that at this moment, as King, I have to manage mainly: the army, foreign policy, internal politics, infrastructure and last but not least, scientific research.

The latter, even though we are in the Middle Ages, must be my main focus.

For a safe and modern country, my trump card is gunpowder.

At this time, no one has yet invented guns or rifles, and this means that if I have the best weapons in other states, then I can do many things.

Currently, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is only a puppet state, that is, even though I am governing it, the Pope and Emperor Frederick have a way to stop, criticize and condemn my actions.

As for Federico, I think I'm safe. I made him take Jerusalem and concluded a pact of collaboration with them, what he wanted to do from the beginning.

While the most worrying one is the Pope.

I only know that his name is Innocent IV and that he hasn't done anything yet.

<< Your Majesty >>

I will have to act carefully, the popes at this time have political power similar to that of kings.

<< Your Majesty? >>

Whatever it does, I will wipe it out. To me the popes who rule just suck.

<< Your Majesty !! >>

I looked up and saw my two ministers staring at me not understanding anything.

<< What is it ?! I was thinking! >>

<< Your Majesty, she told us that in two hours we have to go to you >>

I remember this, while I was thinking two hours had already passed?

How time flies.

<< Yes, you are right, forgive me. Now, I would like you to write down everything you need to do >>

The two took the sheets of paper, ready to write.

Paper? Here's another problem, paper.

To do what I have to do, will take a lot. So, somehow, I have to increase its productivity.

I'm getting a headache already, I'll think about it later.

<< Are you ready? >>

<< Yes, Your Majesty >>

<< We start from Aaliya, so we finish first. What you need to do is a school program for subjects such as history, science, Arabic, Latin, math and manual courses. They have to be 8-year school programs, things that kids ages 8 and up would understand. In addition, you must do at least a first training course for teachers who will go and teach in those schools >>

Aaliya was left speechless: << Your Majesty, how much time do I have to do all this? >>

<< As for the writing of the programs one month, for the training of teachers three months. In total you have 4 months, try not to disappoint me >>

<< I understand, then I assure you that I will finish in time >>

<< Perfect. Now it's your turn, Mansour. What you have to do is train collaborators who work for you and who send you all the income from all the cities that you will have to arrange and catalogue in months. In addition, you must introduce a tax on each trade change within the kingdom of 3% of the total value. For example: if a cow costs 20 tari, you will have to make me 3% of it, so 0.6 tari. Also, you will have to hire people who will go and collect all this money daily. In a few months, I will give you the necessary money but you will do the bureaucratic steps: I will give you a fund that can be requested by any citizen who wants to open his own original business within the kingdom >>

<< It seems so much Your Majesty ... >>

<< Don't worry, the worst will come in a few months. You will have to do much, much more than this so I suggest you go and find qualified people to help you >>

I could see that the two were looking at each other and I was regretting having become my ministers.

| Morning of December 23 - 1248 - St. Peter's Basilica - Rome — Innocent IV |

<<Amen>>

Everyone got up from their seats and left in order.

So finally another day of mass is over.

You hear a familiar voice: << Holy father >>

He was my spy again, he hadn't been hearing for months: << Yes, tell me >>

<< Do you remember that wretch who killed Sir Elias? >>

<<Certainly>>

<< Now he has become King of Jerusalem >>

Huh? In what sense? Is that miserable being who killed Sir Elias now King of the Kingdom of Jerusalem ?!

<< How did Federico dare to put someone like him >>

<< Wait, this is not even the worst thing >>

<< What did that microbe do? >>

<< It is not a certain source, but I was told that perhaps he agreed with Sultan Al Kamil to allow Arabs to visit Jerusalem >>

I was silent for a while.

<< Why is he still alive? >>

<< To be honest, you told us to wait and do nothing >>

<< Well, you did well. Now I'll take care of putting that killer in line >>