Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 127 One day, you will destroy yourself!

The so-called Transjordan refers to the area east of the Jordan Valley.

This land has been a must-pass place for caravans thousands of years ago.

“Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through fields or vineyards, and we will not drink water from wells. We will take the highway and will not turn to the right or to the left, until we have passed through your borders.”

—Numbers 20:17
This highway recorded in the Old Testament is a camel trade road that runs north-south through Transjordan and still nourishes the town of Al-Hadi today.

When Balian and others led their horses along the old road into the town of Alhadi, they saw a large construction site.

On this construction site, turbaned Muslims worked alongside Frankish Christians.

They built houses here, expanded the town, and dug wells and reservoirs to cope with the long dry season.

This is a sight rarely seen in other parts of the kingdom.

Generally speaking, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Franks and the Muslims were two different societies after all. Apart from a few unavoidable intersections, most of the time, they tried their best to avoid any contact with each other.

However, this is not the case in this small town. Different beliefs have not become a barrier. Instead, it exudes a scene of vitality and flourishing of all things.

The Franks frequented the Arabs' shops, and the Arabs also directed the Franks to work.

Although speech was still not very convenient, they could finally understand each other's meaning through gestures and simple words. They were not indifferent to each other, but were truly intertwined with each other.

After seeing this scene, Balian was somewhat moved, but he did not show it.

After asking passers-by, Balian and several of his followers checked into a hotel in the small town.

This hotel is called the Grapevine Inn. It was newly opened half a month ago and is run by the Franks.

Unlike other inns, which mainly served passing Arab caravans, the Grapevine Inn specifically accommodated the Franks.

As soon as he pushed open the door of the inn, Balian was even more surprised.

Compared to other hotels Balian had stayed in before, this one was much cleaner and tidier.

The whole hall looked spacious and cozy. The copper lamps hanging from the wooden beams emitted a soft warm light, illuminating the entire hall. The flames in the fireplace danced gently, accompanied by the sound of firewood, dispelling the chill outside.

The air is filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, intertwined with the rich taste of wine, making people unconsciously relax.

It is now dinner time and many Franks are having dinner here. Although Balian cannot hear clearly what they are saying for a moment, they must be very happy, which is inconsistent with the misery in other corners of the kingdom.

Balian and his men sat in a corner, called the waiter, and after throwing a dinar silver coin as a tip, he got the recommendation for the best menu of the day.

"Sir, for a generous guest like you, my suggestion is that each person order a plate of crystal honey barbecued ribs and a plate of superior traveler's stew. In addition, the wine from Labret Manor is also excellent. But if you like strong liquor, the distilled liquor from Scarr Village is enough to make your throat burn."

"Please bring me some wine, roast ribs and stew for each person."

"Okay! There are six of you here, so I'll give you three gold dinars."

After hearing the price, Humphrey on the side became restless and wanted to say something, but after seeing Balian's expression, he held back and didn't lose his temper.

In fact, it was not only Humphrey, but several other knights on the side also showed some dissatisfaction.

Even in the holy city of Jerusalem, a good dinner would cost at most 4 silver dirhams. How could the prices be so outrageous in such a remote place!

How dare they rip off these knights!

Perhaps noticing the expressions of the guests, the waiter smiled a few times in good faith.

"Believe me, everyone, this is definitely worth it!"

After throwing out three gold dinars, Balian waved his hand to tell the waiter not to stay with them.

Then, Balian looked at the knights and said:
"Alaric, Godfroy, Amaury, you guys still lack a lot of self-control. Don't cause trouble when you go out. Moreover, if you really want to get angry, you have to wait until they serve the food."

Balian did not mention Humphrey's name, but just gave him a meaningful look.

After a while, the waiter's traveler's stew and Labret wine were served first.

Smelling the rich aroma of the stew, several knights swallowed unconsciously. Even Humphrey looked at the stew without saying anything critical.

"Don't be swayed by your existing experience. Many times, watching, listening and thinking more are more important than taking action directly."

Listening to Balian's teachings, the knights lowered their heads in shame. Humphrey, on the other hand, had already started to stir the stew in his bowl with a wooden spoon and expressed his opinion: "Salt, onions, carrots, cabbage, there's nothing to say about these."

"But they have really good flour, they use castrated lamb, they use fresh parsley, and most importantly, they have black pepper."

Black pepper, in this era, is a symbol of wealth and status and has the reputation of "black gold".

It is not produced on the Mediterranean coast, but must be imported from faraway India, with high transportation costs. In some cases, pepper can even be used as a trading currency to pay rent, taxes, or as a gift to the royal family or high-ranking clergy.

Since the Kingdom of Jerusalem itself was a transit point for the black pepper trade, the knights present were not ignorant of it, as it was a spice that they could use occasionally.

But who are they? It is natural for spices to be present at the Ibelin family's banquet.

But being able to smell the scent of black pepper in a tavern in such a small country town was truly an eye-opener for these people.

And after each of them tasted this "superior traveler's stew", they had even less to say. They, the knights, could still distinguish the taste of dark beer and olive oil.

The large amount of complex seasonings brought a variety of tastes to this seemingly simple stew, which was beyond what they had eaten in Nablus in the past.

On the contrary, there is nothing much to say about the wine, it is simply of excellent quality, with a rich fruity aroma and a long aftertaste.

[Wine pleases the heart] - Psalm 104:15
When the crystal smooth honey barbecue ribs were served, the other diners around them all looked at Balian and his group with envy and jealousy.

Dinner costing half a gold coin was so appalling that it was not something a bunch of peasants like them could enjoy. Just when the waiter passed by them with the roasted ribs, it was enough to make the diners drool three feet long.

"It is indeed honey, and their sauce is very good. The salt and black pepper are also excellent. They even use grape seeds and yellow onions. The food in this restaurant is well-known even in the Holy City."

It was Humphrey again, who picked up a piece of rib meat with his fork and expressed his authoritative opinion as a senior gourmet.

Balian lowered his eyelids as he listened to Humphrey's words, hiding his inner thoughts. This kind of silence was also a kind of evaluation of a person, but ordinary people would not notice it at all.

This is a plate of Crystal Honey BBQ Ribs. Multiple layers of syrupy honey are generously applied to the pork ribs, which are then delicately roasted over an open flame, carefully controlling the degree of crispiness on the outside and tenderness on the inside.

This slow-roasted sweet meat is very convenient to remove by simply cutting the thin membrane on the ribs.

When everyone had enjoyed their meal, the waiter who had earned a tip from Balian earlier arranged a room for them.

They also paid a high price and received exceptionally good service. The waiter even smiled the whole time, which made the guests happy. Even Humphrey took out a silver dirham as a tip and gave it to the waiter.

Balian was put in the same room as Humphrey.

Recalling what he saw and heard in this town today, many thoughts passed through Balian's mind.

He recalled the scene that the young man, the Leper King, had described to him, and now he realized that it did not seem to be just the ravings of a fool.

The biggest problem with the Kingdom of Jerusalem was that religious beliefs divided the country in half.

The Franks ruled the country by force, or more precisely, they enslaved the Muslims by force.

It's just that the Muslims here have long been accustomed to being cruelly exploited and trampled upon by tax farmers, so much so that they even think that the Crusaders are more humane and don't think about rioting every day.

But even so, it was impossible to expect the Muslims in the kingdom to have any sense of belonging to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and it was impossible to mobilize them to fight.

Therefore, in this country, the number of people who can actually stand up and fight is actually less than 30%.

Even the population of Damascus alone was greater than the total number of Franks in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

That is to say, the Crusade sentiment in Europe has been maintained until now, so the kingdom can receive a steady stream of pilgrim reinforcements.

But one day, Europe will get tired of the endless Crusades, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem will become an orphan abandoned overseas.

By then, we will be using this small number of crickets to fight against the endless Muslim world.

One day, you will inevitably destroy yourself!

In fact, the kingdom’s top leaders can see and realize this vision.

Therefore, different factions made different choices.

In the eyes of Reynald, the Lord of Transjordan, he would rather put the entire country on the gamble table. As long as he could defeat Saladin and smash the Ayyubid dynasty, he could go south to the Nile Delta and east to attack the Islamic holy city of Mecca and strangle the Islamic heart that dared to resist.

(End of this chapter)