Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 128 Happiness comes to an abrupt end
But for any rational person, it is clear that such ambitions and grand blueprints are bound to never come true.

The County of Edessa has now been destroyed, and even if all the Franks in the three remaining Crusaders were added together, they would barely number no more than 25.

With only 25 people, even if all the knights, mercenaries, and free people were assembled, they could only form an army of to to fight a decisive battle with Saladin.

But, what next?

If we lose, we lose everything. Even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory or a complete victory. If it is a pyrrhic victory, will we really have the strength to conquer Egypt?

However, the losses from the defeat were insignificant to the Islamic world.

You have to know that Egypt in this era alone had a population of four million!
Even if the Ayyubid dynasty could be crushed, does that mean that the Crusader states would be able to take over Ayyubid's legacy?

Winning a military victory and governing a country civilly are two completely different things.

The religious barriers are there.

The Franks themselves are not very good at ruling, and it is already very difficult for them to maintain their existing territories.

In this situation, the Leper King once proposed an idea to Balian.

It was at Montgisard that Balian, together with Reynald, led several hundred knights to attack Saladin's three thousand Mamluks, chasing the pagan king for more than a hundred miles, leaving the 30,000-strong army leaderless and easily dealt with by the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

On that battlefield, the strong smell of blood still permeated the air, and the cheers of the soldiers and the sound of horses' hooves intertwined into a song of victory.

The young king told the knights beside him about his grand blueprint.

"Even if we didn't come, would this land be peaceful? The Fatimids, the Seljuks, and the many emirs killed each other as much as we did."

"Did this land originally belong to the Saracens? Didn't they conquer it from the Roman Empire?"

"We want everyone to understand that we are here to put an end to the war and restore God's order. Only in this way can we achieve long-term peace and stability."

“Only when the people of this place can identify the country more than religion, can we be said to be truly rooted in the land beneath our feet.”

The Leper King was really young at that time and could speak coherently.

That youthful and high-spirited temperament deeply infected many knights.

Many knights present believed from the bottom of their hearts that one day, they would no longer be considered outsiders...

Then, nine years have passed so far. Before coming to Alhadi Town, what Balian saw was contrary to the Leper King's original grand blueprint, and he didn't see any possibility of it being realized.

A mad dog like Reynard now has no master to tether it, and the country is sliding into the abyss of destruction, but Balian is powerless to do anything.

It was his elder brother, Baldwin de Ibelin, the head of the Ibelin family, who, upon realizing that Jerusalem was about to destroy itself, refused to pledge allegiance at Guy's coronation and was willing to give up his territory and choose to go into self-exile.

Perhaps, it was because his brother did not want to see the kingdom destroyed.

"Baldwin, I seem to see the fire now...but is it too late?"

……

Although February in Transjordan is still winter, it is no different from spring and autumn in other areas.

In this land, the temperature rarely drops below 0 degrees Celsius.

As far as Garys himself felt, the daytime temperature was at least around 12 degrees Celsius.

This is a season that requires more clothes, and it is also a particularly leisurely season.

Garris is not a workaholic, he also enjoys life, and it is precisely because of this pleasant enjoyment that he gradually shapes the world around him into a familiar one.

The Grapevine Tavern was the work of Gellis, and the dessert shop where he works now is also a property of the order.

When saltpeter is dissolved in water, an endothermic reaction occurs, causing the surrounding temperature to drop. Based on this principle, the ancients of China already knew how to make ice in summer as early as the Tang Dynasty.

The whole process is actually not complicated. Collect enough saltpeter and clean water, mix the saltpeter with water, and stir until completely dissolved. At this time, the solution can be below 0 degrees Celsius.

Use a wooden or ceramic container to hold the water to be frozen, and immerse the mold containing water in a large container containing saltpeter solution to quickly cool it down and freeze it.

When the water is completely frozen, carefully remove the mold to get ice cubes.

Moreover, in this process, no saltpeter is actually consumed.

To be honest, Garys is really good at making money.

In this hot land of the Arabian Peninsula, pilgrims and merchants coming and going saw ice for the first time in their lives in a small place like Al-Hadi Town because of Gairis.

What's more, Garys doesn't just sell ice cubes.

There are records of sugarcane production in the Transjordan valley region since the 12th century AD, and the relatively easy-to-obtain goat and camel milk can be used to make butter.

The principle of the early wooden barrel ice cream machine is not complicated. It is just a hand-cranked mixer combined with a wooden barrel with metal partitions. It was invented in the United States about 20 years before the Civil War.

When using, mix the ingredients such as milk, cream, sugar and egg yolk together and pour them into the built-in metal container, then fill the compartment between the metal and the wooden barrel with crushed ice and sprinkle with salt.

The salt lowers the melting point of the ice, speeding up the cooling process and making it even colder. The mixture in the metal container is stirred by manually turning a crank, causing it to cool evenly and gradually solidify.

Ice cream was born. Indeed, as a luxury, whether it is ice cream or drinks with ice cubes added, the old farmers cannot afford it.

But the travelers passing through Alhadi town didn't think so.

Most people who can go on a pilgrimage these days are considered wealthy and have travel expenses ready.

As for the Arab merchants, let alone them, if they have no money, no one in the world will have money.

When this group of people saw ice cubes for the first time in their lives in a dessert shop in Alhadi Town, they were stunned and started throwing money around.

If you have less money, throw in a few copper fils and have a bite of ice to try it out.

Those who have more money can sit in the dessert shop and enjoy VIP service.

The cool taste and sweet flavor are a near-perfect combination that can easily make people addicted.

A rough calculation shows that the net profit from this dessert shop alone is enough to support more than a dozen knights.

Every time a caravan passes through the town of Alhadi, it will be bombarded with a wave of gold coins.

Even the wealthy families around here would come to Alhadi Town from time to time to satisfy their appetites.

Even Gillis himself often couldn't help himself.

For example, what is now placed on his table is a cup of exquisite milk sugar pudding.

The sunlight shines through the glass, reflecting a warm caramel glow. There is a layer of white fresh cream on the top, and the rich milky aroma and the sweetness of milk candy are perfectly intertwined.

This is a new product designed by Garys, but because the ingredients are too monotonous, Garys failed to bring out the flavor it should have.

But for the girl in front of him, it was enough.

Across the table from Gellis was Isabella, whose hair had grown back long, almost reaching her shoulders.

The girl held a cup of milk sugar pudding and shook it slightly. The chewy texture made her particularly curious.

"How do you know so many recipes? And each one is more amazing than the last."

“Does the Heavenly Father cook all the time in Heaven?”

Hearing the girl's teasing words, Gailis just curled up the corner of his mouth into a smile, didn't say much, and handed an iron spoon to the girl.

However, after taking the spoon, the girl scooped a spoonful of pudding but did not put it into her mouth. Instead, she held the spoon and brought it to the boy's mouth.

Gailis had never expected the other party to do this, but he still opened his mouth and tasted the first bite of pudding.

It's sweet, but not greasy. Although the taste is a bit monotonous, the taste is still satisfactory.

After seeing Garys taste it, Isabella tasted the milk candy pudding in her hand.

But unlike Garys, when that small bite of pudding entered her mouth, her eyes lit up, and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of her mouth, with a look of surprise on her face.

The rich milky aroma and delicate sweetness melted on the tip of her tongue, and the smooth taste seemed to slide gently across her taste buds, bringing her extreme happiness.

Few girls can resist the temptation of desserts. The coolness of the dessert mixed with the sweetness of condensed milk is like an angel visiting the world and sending blessings to the girls.

"It's so delicious!" She looked at the boy in front of her in disbelief, her eyes full of amazement and satisfaction.

“I’ve never eaten anything so delicious.”

Garys smiled that gentle smile again.

Isabella couldn't help but scoop another mouthful, and generously handed it to Garys, saying with a smile: "Try another mouthful, it's really good!"

They smiled at each other, and sweetness filled the air.

The breeze outside the window blew gently, and this moment in the store seemed particularly warm and beautiful.

The troubles of the world seemed to have nothing to do with this young couple anymore.

They were immersed in their own little world, and their time became sweeter because of each other's smiles.

However, in this beautiful frozen world, a familiar and deep voice came from the store door.

"Bella?"

Gailis and Isabella turned their heads and saw a traveler in a robe standing there.

Gailis and Isabella were very familiar with the traveler's weathered face.

"Ballian?"

Happiness came to an abrupt end.

Garys and the other man had never imagined that their reunion with Balian would be in such a situation.

(End of this chapter)