Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 158 Disaster is coming, Jerusalem!

On the 1187th day of the year 4 in the Chinese calendar, west of the Sea of Galilee.

The July sun was scorching the earth, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the endless blue made people feel suffocated.

Everywhere there were broken weapons, flags, corpses, and even the fallen True Cross.

Guy slowly opened his eyes. He had fainted in the previous battle and saw a strange vision.

There, in the blazing sky, an eagle soared above his head, holding in its talons a crossbow with seven bolts, and it cried out in a terrifying voice: "Woe to you, Jerusalem! Franks, your retribution has come!"

Retribution? It is indeed retribution...

He should not have acted rashly a month ago and had clearly been prepared for a long-term confrontation.

After all, many of the main members of Saladin's army were actually jihadist volunteers, and many were actually allies of other Muslim sects.

Compared with the elite main force of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Saladin's army was just a mob.

As long as time goes on and the morale of Saladin's army is shaken, it will be the time for a decisive battle.

But what about yourself?

Ah……

It was clear that Reynald was strongly opposed to a large-scale battle, but Saladin's several strategic feints made Guy anxious.

They were mobilized to march for several days, from one battlefield to another, and during that time, the water supply in the army was all dry...

The roar of the Turks riding their horses seemed to still echo in Guy's ears.

Now he has been captured along with some other nobles and sent to Saladin's tent.

Among these nobles, in addition to Guy himself, there were Amaury, the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Humphrey, the lord of Torun, Gerald, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, William Borel, the Marshal of the Knights Hospitaller, and William V, the Marquis of Montferrat...

When they met, Saladin showed Guy great respect and handed him a glass of iced rose water.

Then Saladin looked at Guy for a long time and finally said, "You once followed a true king, but how come you don't have the slightest kingly demeanor?"

Compared with the Leper King of the past, Guy's strategic determination is too poor, and his balance of domestic factions is a mess.

Even Reynald, the most capable fighter in his faction, had proposed many tactical strategies, but Guy had made a mess of their execution.

Saladin asked again: "Where is Reynald?"

Listening to Saladin's words, Guy did not answer immediately, but drank the ice water in big gulps. In the past day and a half, even he had not drunk a drop of water.

The real kings and nobles and the people below them lived in completely two different worlds in this era.

Garys also had to work hard to make ice from saltpeter and make money from passing merchants.

People like Saladin directly ordered people to go to Mount Hermon to mine ice, transport it by land, and use it for their own use.

Feeling the rose ice water dispel the summer heat, Guy answered casually, "He broke through. He had already sensed something was wrong before he was surrounded, and refused to march with us."

Saladin smacked his lips, feeling quite regretful. He could only sigh that Reynald was truly like a dog, with a terrifyingly strong sense of tactics.

He lacked this ability and missed the chance to fight many times, but he finally won this most crucial battle.

Now it is time for Saladin to enjoy the feast of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Saladin screened and classified the captured noble lords. Except for some who were demanded for ransom, some, such as Humphrey, were sent to the most suitable place - Karak.

Strictly speaking, the owner of the land in Transjordan does not belong to Leonard, but to Stephanie.

Leonard was only able to exercise the power to rule because he was married to Stephanie.

However, Stephanie and Leonard had no children, and her only child was Humphrey.

Therefore, when Humphrey's token was sent to the parliament in Karak, the members of the parliament fell into a crazy quarrel and blamed each other.

Because, these councillors all knew one thing, their lord Stephanie, that woman! She would definitely betray Karak City for the safety of her children! Adil's envoy was sent away, leaving behind a noisy council hall.

The mottled stone walls confined the sounds within this narrow and towering space. With no outsiders around, the council members from the upper town stood up and hurled insults even more fiercely.

"Bernard, you idiot! If we follow your advice, those Muslims will rush in and kill us all! They will take our money and sell the women into slavery!"

"Idiot! Idiot! Old lady Stephanie will definitely surrender! She can't bear to part with her stupid son! We can't let her sell us out!" A congressman with a long beard roared loudly.

"So you're going to sell us all?!" The middle-aged man leaned on the table with both hands, his face as gloomy as a cumulus cloud.

"Don't make another fearless sacrifice, Hugh! Saladin is always polite and courteous. As long as we can reach an agreement, we will be safe!"

"Damn it! You are a piece of shit Italian, you don't have a manor here, you can run away with the floating wealth, but what about us?! It's easy for you to talk without any pain, right?"

"Who are you calling a piece of shit Italian!"

"Whoever agrees is a damn Italian!"

"coward!"

"ass!"

"idiot!"

Some of them wanted to surrender, some were reluctant to give up their manors, and some were unwilling to give up their shops or workshops in the city.

The reddish-brown cassock and the dirty linen robes intertwined into a chaotic color in the hall, and a fight broke out as someone tore off the other's clothes.

Bishop Amedei of Karak City saw these old men in the city fighting like thugs. Veins popped out on his forehead. He clenched his fists and hammered the table in front of him hard a few times.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

In an instant, the noise stopped and everyone stared at Bishop Ame.

"I'll go talk to that woman Stephanie and find out what her attitude is."

After listening to the bishop's words, the parliamentarians, who had just been furious, closed their mouths tightly, but the flashes in their eyes showed that they had different thoughts in mind.

When Acting Bishop Ame left the parliament hall, he couldn't help but look back at the not-so-tall building, and then cursed in a low voice: "How can I do politics well with this bunch of insects!"

The parliamentary system is quite old on the Mediterranean coast.

The earliest traceability of the parliamentary system can actually be traced back to the joint deliberations in the tribal era.

Ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 BC also had a clear council of elders.

In ancient Rome, each city established a local city council based on the model of the Roman Senate.

As for the Middle Ages, starting from the 11th century, due to the rise of urban renaissance and trade development, many medieval cities gradually gained autonomy and governed themselves through city councils.

These councils, usually composed of local elites, managed the city's day-to-day affairs, economic activities, and external relations.

The city of Karak, through an agreement with Stephanie's mother, had already had a certain degree of autonomy decades ago.

They signed a city charter in exchange for paying high taxes.

The contents of the charter generally state that the parliament enjoys powers such as urban management and construction, legislation and judicial affairs, and public security management.

Since the main tax payers are the wealthy people in Karak City or some minor nobles, the parliament of Karak City is not elected, but passed down from generation to generation in some families.

These wealthy people decide the fate of Karak City, while the craftsmen and even the laborers in the lower city are not even qualified to attend and listen.

Bishop Amade left the parliament of Karak City and walked into Karak Castle through a flat drawbridge. In the castle, he heard the woman's heart-wrenching roar and cry.

The Bishop realized that he could not have any productive communication with Stephanie, the mother of his only child who was being held captive by the enemy.

　Third update (additional update)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)