The Order of Saint George

The imperial and papal edicts first spread within the Holy Roman Empire, and then radiated in all directions.

A new Grand Duke Conference was being prepared, a process that could last for months or even years.

As expected, the participants in this conference would be clergy and scholars from the Iberian Peninsula, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Italian states.

Given the current bloody civil war in England, it is unlikely that the clergy there will be able to participate in church reform in the short term.

Laszlo wrote to the Pope, requesting that some missionaries be sent to help the Bulgarian people convert to the Roman Catholic faith, and the Pope readily agreed.

The Grand Master of the German branch of the Teutonic Order, stationed in Vienna New City, was summoned by the Emperor and came to Hofburg Palace to meet Laszlo.

Laszlo sat high on the imperial throne and saw Eyczing leading a burly, distinguished middle-aged man into the hall.

Eyczing introduced him to Laszlo: "Your Majesty, this is the Grand Master of the German branch of the Teutonic Order whom you wished to see, Martin von Querfurt."

Martin looked like a standard Imperial Knight, with blond hair and a handsome appearance.

He wore a handsome knight's chainmail suit, draped with a clean and tidy belted surcoat, and the black cross on his chest indicated his identity.

A scar was left on his profile, which must have been proof of his valiant fighting.

The surname Querfurt indicated his identity; he came from a Saxon noble family and, as a child without inheritance rights, was sent to the Teutonic Order to be tempered and to dedicate himself.

This reliable knight was only in his early thirties, and to be able to reach the position of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order indicated his capability.

Laszlo confirmed this through the attribute panel.

"Grand Master Martin, you swore allegiance to me, yet you have made no contributions to date," Laszlo said, playing with the scepter in his hand without raising his head, "Now I need you to do the work you are best at for me."

Martin was slightly stunned by the words, but immediately reacted, saying with some anticipation: "Your Majesty, please feel free to command."

His reaction was observed by Laszlo, and the Emperor nodded slightly, saying to him: "I intend to issue a new edict within the Holy Roman Empire, calling on the Holy Roman Empire's subjects to 'Crusade to the East'.

In Hungary and Bulgaria, there is still a large amount of uncultivated land, while the number of displaced people within the Holy Roman Empire is increasing daily; I intend to reconcile such contradictions.

In addition, in the Bulgaria region, there are still a large number of Eastern Orthodox believers who have not converted to the Roman Church, and they occasionally erupt in rebellions, threatening the lives of missionaries and the security of the territory.

You should now understand what I have called you here to do, right?"

Martin nodded and asked: "Your Majesty wants us to persuade the herders of Bulgaria to abandon their false beliefs?"

"Precisely."

Laszlo waved his hand to a nearby attendant, who immediately handed a map to Martin.

The map showed the winding Danube River, as well as the road from Vienna to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, passing through Budapest and Belgrade.

This road currently only exists in theory, but the road conditions between the capitals of various kingdoms are relatively the best.

Martin noticed that on the map, along this eastward road, more than two dozen small dots were marked in conspicuous red pigment.

"You should have noticed those places," Laszlo immediately explained, "This is an eastward route map derived from the military map drawn during our Crusade to the East, and the places marked in red are your first task—to establish twenty-five supply stations.

According to the normal marching speed of the main Crusader forces, except for the difficult Balkan mountain roads, there are almost no obstacles in the rest of the journey, and it is possible to reach near Sofia from Vienna within two months.

These red dots are merely indicative; I plan to organize an eastward colonial team, led by you. Every two days of marching,

A supply station will be set up near the road, leaving twenty guards, a priest who understands medicine, and necessary supplies there.

Afterward, I will organize immigrants to enter Hungary and Bulgaria along the road you advance on. You must purchase supplies for the supply stations from surrounding villages or manors, and I will also organize some burden teams to transport supplies to the supply points along the way.

This is the first task. Are there any questions?"

"None at all, Your Majesty."

"Good. Then, after you arrive in Sofia, the Teutonic Order will be responsible for organizing and settling the German immigrants and protecting their safety.

Furthermore, you must also protect the clergy there from violent Orthodox believers and promptly suppress these riots until everyone converts to the true faith."

Martin said with some difficulty: "Your Majesty, although our branch within the Holy Roman Empire also has a certain scale, many assets within the Holy Roman Empire need to be managed and guarded.

As it stands, our strength is probably insufficient to undertake such a arduous task."

Laszlo expressed understanding for this and continued: "Your concerns are valid; your strength alone is not enough to deal with the Bulgarian rioters.

Although their population has greatly decreased due to the wars, we must not forget the true great enemy—the Ottoman, who are still eyeing this land greedily.

I have already reached an agreement with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

From now on, you will separate from the Teutonic Order and become a direct knightly order of my Habsburg Family, named the Order of Saint George, and you will serve as the first Grand Master.

The assets you control will remain untouched, and I will also bestow Kustendil, near Sofia, upon the new Teutonic Order as its headquarters, and the surrounding land will be managed by the Teutonic Order.

Of course, I will also give you another sum of money and issue an edict to encourage ambitious young nobles to join the Teutonic Order.

I ask you, do you have the determination to serve as a Royal Knight, guarding the Habsburg Royal Family, fighting all pagans and heretics, and spreading the Catholic faith?"

Martin immediately knelt on one knee, pounded his chest with his hand, and solemnly replied: "I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty."

"Good!" Laszlo waved his hand, and another attendant delivered a flag to Martin.

The flag had a white background with a red cross, which is the Saint George's Cross.

On the flag were also the Teutonic Cross emblem and the black double-headed eagle emblem, representing that the Teutonic Order came from the Holy Roman Empire and was a Teutonic Order of the German people.

Martin excitedly accepted the flag; from now on, there would be no more German branch of the Teutonic Order; they would serve the Habsburg Royal Family under the name of the Royal Order of Saint George.

Martin informed the brothers and fellow members of the branch about the Teutonic Order's change of allegiance and the impending journey to Bulgaria.

A small number of people, out of firm belief, and some who were simply afraid of going to dangerous Bulgaria, chose to leave and go to the Baltic Sea coast to rejoin the Teutonic Order.

The remaining majority of knights, priests, and all the sergeants once again swore allegiance to the Emperor, becoming members of the Order of Saint George.

They directly retained the system of the Teutonic Order, with the Knight Brotherhood, the Clergy Brotherhood, and the Military Brotherhood each performing their duties, making the final preparations for the upcoming Crusade.