Chapter 176: 171: "Trust"

"Anymore things interesting they have brought with them?"

"Yes, your grace." The scout went forward kneeling towards John Hunyadi passing him a letter. "This was found in this man's pouch and is the only thing worth looking at."

The King Regent torn open the envelope revealing the letter inside written in perfect Ottoman court calligraphy.

"Dear my old friend Durad…. How have you been? It has been a number of years before we last met… I have received the rasp berries that you have delivered to me couple of weeks ago, needless to say the rasp berries from the lands of Rashka is one of the best I have ever tasted… In return I shall offer you three full bags of pome fruits harvested from Bursa once everything is over, may we meet each other again, regards… Your most trusted friend Zaganos."

The King Regent finished reading the letter after a while, confused by the letter he looked upon the faces of the sub coordinates surrounding him, who are all equally as baffled.

"This letter… is suspicious." After a while, a knight under John Hunyadi broke the silent atmosphere.

"Yes, very suspicious, indeed." Another fellow added on nodding.

"It is a really, really, very, suspicious letter…"

"I know that it is suspicious, stop telling me that." John Hunyadi feels like he is having an headache. "But what is the Ottoman commander trying to tell Durad Branković over here? Is there an encrypted message within these words?"

"I am sorry, your grace, but we cannot see any hidden meanings in these words." The knights of John Hunyadi can offer no help this time round.

John Hunyadi sighed and torn the letter into pieces scattering it on the ground. "I cannot be sure but I do think that this is a trick into creating a disbelief between the two of us…."

"With respect your grace. Ever after seeing the weary actions of the Serbian Despotate in the last battle, it is hard to convince our Hungarians to have faith in them." An imperial baron from Posavina called Emeric Zápolya spitted in the woods remembering the old wounds just a few years back.

"Your grace…" The envoy of the Habsburg King at Wien, Lord of Schönborn Gerald went forward to fulfil the duty assigned to him by his king. "Although there are much factors of mistrust, but I must remind you that it is his majesty's wishes for us to work with the Serbians and Bosnians in this war."

"I know, lord Gerald. That is exactly my wish so far." John Hunyadi acknowledged. "I shall forget about this event, now let us go back to the camp shall we? Nothing more to see over here."

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What John Hunyadi and his consorts never expect is that this piece of intercepted letter is only the start of a series of intrigue master plays by Selim Pasha.

Two days later on the fifteenth of June, morning, John Hunyadi was utterly surprised beyond words when the Despot of Serbia showed up personally with a letter in his hand into the general's tent in the Hungarian camp facing John Hunyadi directly.

"Your grace." The Despot seems to be in a hurry, sweating and panting as he jumps down his horse with his marshal Stefan Ratković following him. "You must listen to my explanation, this letter!"

"Relax, my friend." John Hunyadi just came back from a morning patrol, puzzled he invited the Despot inside his tent to have a seat and drink. "What happened? Please be careful, the holy career still needs the contributions of a senior mind like you on our side to offer us guidance, take care of your old bones my friend."

"There is no time for this." The Despot gulped down his cup of drink and showing John Hunyadi a letter. "Read this, and then I will explain."

John Hunyadi gave the Despot a bizarre look and started reading the letter. To his awe, it was roughly the same letter that he intercepted from the Ottomans two days ago, only that it has a few more lines blaming the despot why have he not replied him.

"Please, do not take this letter seriously!" Seeing the constipating face of John Hunyadi, the Despot became nervous and rooted up from the chair. "I can swear to God, that I have no connections with the Ottomans! If…"

"Seat, seat, seat, my friend." John Hunyadi had to stand up as well comforting the terrified Despot. "I have never suspected you having connections with the Ottomans, please don't over react."

"Your grace." A knight whispered beside John Hunyadi's ear. "But we have sealed off all possible routes from the Ottomans to the Serbian side… Does this letter means there is another secret route between the Serbians and the Ottomans that we do not know?"

John Hunyadi narrowed his eyes and pushed the knight aside staring at him. "Don't say such nonsense."

This created even more panic, he paced himself forward grabbing the hands of John Hunyadi and said eagerly. "Your grace, I can be sure from my instinct that this is a dirty trick by the Ottoman commander… Zaganos, to create mistrust between the two of us! Listen, if the two armies unite together and stay as one…" The Despot looked around and picked up two arrows from John Hunyadi's quiver. "It will be like these two arrows, unable to be bent or broken no matter how much force is applied, if there is only one arrow…"

The Despot threw an arrow away keeping one on his hands and bent it. "If there is only one arrow, it goes bending and breaking easily like this, you see! Your grace."

"I understand." John Hunyadi grabbed hold of the other hand of the arrow and replied looking at the Despot in his eyes. "I trust you, Despot, I understand that we can only defeat the Ottomans if we are together, and we will definitely be squashed if we are alone."

"I trust you, my friend."

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