Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 177 Saladin, keep his word! 6000 words long chapter

Nestled deep in a narrow alley, it underwent a renovation with the money Villeroy received from the sale of Guillis.

The mottled yellow-brown brick walls were carefully repaired, the roof tiles were re-laid, appearing neat and simple, and the originally rotten wooden doors were replaced with new ones.

Although the space inside the church is still small, it is no longer dark.

Not only were several rows of old benches carefully polished, but the once blurry stained glass was also polished to be crystal clear.

The sunlight penetrated the glass, casting brilliant light and shadows, giving the statue of Jesus a faint glow.

Of course, the Jesus statue, whose paint had originally peeled off, was repainted so that it would not look like it was shedding tears of blood at night.

A wedding was being held in such a church.

Garys led a young man and woman of the same age as himself to recite scriptures together.

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder."

“Your wives are your garments, and you are their garments.”

"Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy or boast or get proud or act rudely. It does not insist on its own way; it is not easily angered or thinks evil. It does not rejoice in injustice but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

“He creates for you spouses from among yourselves, that you may be steadfast to them, and He gives you love and compassion for one another…”

Paragraph after paragraph, from the Bible or the Koran, read by Gelis,
Lorian and Amina responded in a low voice, while the guests in the audience either gave their blessings or watched indifferently.

It wasn't a grand wedding and there weren't many guests.

Both Amina and Lorian only invited their close relatives.

In fact, if Gairis had not shown up in person, neither of Amina’s parents would have been there.

The unity of the church is a long process, and even the emergence of Garys has proved to the world that unity is possible.

But the prejudice contained therein cannot be eliminated in a short period of time.

Lorian's relatives and friends were easier to deal with, after all, Garys had been living with them for several months.

Even though according to canon law: Catholics are forbidden to marry pagans unless they obtain a papal dispensation.

But Gellis's reputation in Karak City is more than a hundred times greater than that of the Pope.
Just a simple blessing is enough.

On the contrary, the woman was stuck in a quagmire.

Islamic law: Muslim men are allowed to marry Jewish or Christian women, but Muslim women are strictly prohibited from marrying non-Muslim men.

Islam believes that Muslim men can be the leaders of family religious life, while Muslim women need to be protected by men of the same faith.

Therefore, Islamic law does not recognize marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men in principle.

In addition, Gairis was not well-known in Karak City, so it took him a lot of effort to subdue the imams here.

Even so, Amina's parents still have some concerns.

It can even be said that the grand adventure between Lorian and Amina is just the beginning.

Now they have Garys, who can lead them on a path, but no one can tell what the future will be like...

If they don't change the world, the world will change them.

This is a struggle to the death, aimed at achieving reconciliation between different ethnic groups.

"This is my commandment: Love one another, as I have loved you..."

The scriptures floated in the morning breeze, and everyone in the church listened quietly, as if everything in the world had stopped breathing at this moment.

Amina and Lorian, witnessed by Garys and the statue of his brother behind him, held hands and looked at each other tenderly.

Then, they each said their vows in each other's native language:

"I love you, honor you, and cherish you in the name of my Heavenly Father."

"In the name of Allah, I accept you, trust you, and accompany you."

At this time, Gailis spoke again: "I declare the oath established. You two spread your hands and accept the blessing from Heavenly Father."

When Gailis finished his words, a roll of parchment appeared out of thin air in the hands of Amina and Lorian in full view of everyone.

This is a contract, an unearthly contract.

[In the presence of God and all living beings, the undersigned jointly make a sacred covenant, promising to love, be loyal and support each other until the end of life. ]

Amina turned her head and looked at Garys in disbelief. As for the relatives and friends in the audience, they stood up one after another. For a moment, the small church was in chaos.

But Garys signaled for everyone to be quiet to calm the young couple's surprise.

Garys, dressed in a neat white robe, said softly, "Read this oath."

Lorian naturally followed suit and made an oath with Amina according to the words on the contract.

"I, Lorien, take you, Amina, to be my wife, and from now on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, I will always love and honor you, until death do us part."

"I, Amina, take you, Lorien, to be my husband, and from now on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, I will always love and honor you, until death do us part."

Lorian and Amina, as the bride and groom, and Garys, as the witness, signed their names on the contract one after another.

As the last stroke was made, the parchment rolled up by itself, then turned into a ray of light and disappeared into the church.

"I said, with the blessing from Heavenly Father... I declare, from now on! Lorian and Amina are married! You can kiss each other."

As Lorian and Amina kissed, Gailis took the initiative to lead everyone in the church to applaud.

He did not explain the previous signs in detail, but left the various hints in his words to the people in the church to guess for themselves.

This was the most effective help that Garys had given to the young couple.

The door of the church slowly opened, and the young couple walked out hand in hand, illuminated by the soft morning light.

Their shadows were reflected on the stone path, and to their relatives and friends behind them, they seemed to be shrouded in a golden halo.

Immediately afterwards, flower petals, wheat and colorful paper pieces were thrown down from all directions, forming a small colorful rain.

In Garys's eyes, the couple walked away, followed by many relatives and friends who laughed, blessed and cheered, and there were subsequent celebrations.

But Garys won't be attending anymore.

In the church, many guests had already left, leaving only one person sitting quietly on the bench.

That was Isabella. She leaned over slightly, placed her hands on the backrest of the front seat, and rested her head gently between her arms, like a quiet cat.

With a faint smile on her lips, she stared at Garys in front of the altar.

Isabella's soft voice rang out, "When do you think it will be our turn?"

He walked slowly to Isabella's side, ran his fingers through the girl's short hair, and touched her earlobe.

Garys leaned down and met her eyes.

Looking into those clear and sparkling eyes, scanning those handsome features with a slightly Greek style, and listening to Isabella's slightly quickened heartbeat.

He knew that the girl's thoughts were not as calm as her face and words showed.

Gellis replied in a low voice: "Soon, it won't be long before it will be us."

At this moment, the morning light cast a faint halo through the stained glass windows, illuminating the place where the two figures intersected.

……

"It will be soon. It won't be long before Aka will be ours."

Saladin, wearing armor and riding on his beloved Arabian horse, stood on a high ground with his followers, overlooking the city of Acre.

Today, the outermost wall of Acre has been breached, and hundreds of soldiers are swarming into the outer wall of Acre.

As the largest port in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the richest city in the whole of Palestine, this city has three city walls.

Moreover, the houses are not only in the city, there are also countless buildings outside the city walls.

During the heyday of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, this city, which welcomed pilgrims, merchants, mercenaries, etc. from the West, had a population of 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Now, the jewel of the kingdom is about to become a plaything in the hands of Saladin.

Saladin, he has longed for it.

Two months have passed since the Battle of the Sea of ​​Galilee on July 1187, 7 in the Gregorian calendar.

In that battle, the spears pointed at the heart of the Crusaders, the torrent of swords took their lives, the horses' hooves raised dust, and the rain of arrows and sparks fell on their heads...

For Saladin, it was also an extremely difficult battle.

The weapons of the Saracens, or more precisely the Muslims, are, in a sense, as lame as ever...

Even though they had an absolute advantage in numbers and were well-rested, they still fought fiercely for the entire afternoon.

Even the troops under Guy organized several counterattacks and defeated the Muslim troops that were swarming in.

But Saladin won after all, Guy's royal tent fell, and after suffering heavy casualties, he completed the task of making dumplings and eating a pot of half-cooked rice.

After the war, Saladin bought all the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller from his soldiers at the price of 50 gold dinars each, and handed them over to Islamic clergy and scholars, allowing these unarmed people to execute the prisoners themselves.

The prisoners of war were also sold as slaves. Due to oversupply, the price of slaves in Damascus plummeted, and a slave could even be bought for just a pair of shoes.

From this time on, the Kingdom of Jerusalem no longer had any field army capable of stopping Saladin's offensive.

Jaffa was captured, Toruń was captured, Sidon was captured, Beirut was captured...

Now it was Acre's turn. When Acre was captured, Tyre was the only city in the north of the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem that could still struggle.

Another wave of arrows shot out from the inner city, and the Franks were making a hysterical and dying struggle.

But with the towering outer city walls captured, it was only a matter of time before the inner city was breached.

Everything developed just as Saladin had vowed to God.

Soon, very soon, the center of the world will return to the embrace of Islam.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem is now like a weak woman forced into a corner. Even the weapons for self-defense have been taken away and thrown aside. It seems that she has no ability to fight back and can only be arbitrarily treated.

As for not long ago, he received news that Adil was defeated in Transjordan.

Saladin was not surprised. After all, victory and defeat are common in the military, and he was used to it...

After so many years of fighting, Saladin has gained a deeper understanding of the nature of war.

War is a global issue. Many times, tactical or campaign failures will not lead to the deterioration of the overall situation of the war.

Many people have won many battles, but all their efforts will be wasted if they lose just one battle.

Others suffered defeat after defeat, only to usher in a new situation after winning just one battle.

For the person in charge of the overall situation, the most important thing is to focus on the overall situation of the war.

Saladin was the one who commanded the overall situation. He was also the one who suffered defeats in succession, and he was also the one who opened up a new situation with just one victory.

As for the Transjordan battlefield, it is secondary, local and does not affect the overall situation.

Adil lost, so did he. Saladin had already lost a long time ago anyway...

In Saladin's eyes, what influences the overall situation are coastal port cities like Acre.

Because these ports would provide safe landing places for European Crusaders.

Just like in EU4, if there is a coastal castle that has not been conquered, it means that tens of thousands of reinforcements can land easily without having to suffer the penalty of landing.

On the contrary, as for the castles inland, you can just go around them if you can, and then come back and take your time to visit them.

Well, Saladin had never expected that there was a guy who was beyond his previous understanding and was active in the border area of ​​Transjordan.

"Soon, it won't be long before Jerusalem will be ours too."

Saladin said this to the blue wolf Muzaffar beside him. He did not blame the other party for what happened a few months ago, but still kept it by his side.

[O Allah! O Lord of Power! You give power to whomever You wish, and You take it away from whomever You wish; You exalt whomever You wish, and You humble whomever You wish; and You alone have the power over all things.]

——Al-Imran, verse 26

……

Facing a strong enemy, we are not afraid

Courageous and Loyal, Worthy of God

Loyal and upright, would rather die than surrender
It is in accordance with the principles of heaven to help the weak and suppress the strong

Galloping across the wilderness, Balian drew the sword from his waist and chopped the head of a fleeing soldier who was trying to rape a woman. The splashing blood made his robe darker red again.

Balian didn't care which side the defeated soldier had belonged to, nor did he stop to accept the woman's thanks. He had a more important mission guiding him, and he was willing to die for it.

He had received his mission a few months earlier, on the Transjordan plateau, outside the town of Naalhadi.

Since then, Balian has been preparing for this coming day.

He became the governor of Jerusalem, but in June Guy took away every able-bodied man in every castle and town of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Guy led these Franks and rushed into the hell west of the Sea of ​​Galilee.

Jerusalem is undefended!

To the extent that he had to run around on this broken land, gathering all the strength he could to gather towards Jerusalem.

Before the war, he had been evacuating civilians from the city, telling them the prophecy, and trying to get them to go to Transjordan.

But, there are very few, the Temple of Jerusalem, the walls of Jerusalem...

The sacred past here bound the Franks and blinded them, just as it had bound the Jews thousands of years ago.

These Franks were unwilling to abandon the stone church!

For this reason, Balian went to Gaza alone and left Gaza alone.

He didn't find any reinforcements, he was all alone, but so what?
Reynald once asked loudly: The Leper King died a long time ago! What's the point of you guarding the shabby country he left behind?

At that time, Balian's answer was: I want to see the day when Jerusalem truly becomes the Kingdom of Heaven, so I will not allow it to be destroyed by anyone.

The day when Jerusalem truly becomes the Kingdom of Heaven has not yet arrived, but now it seems to be a candle in the wind.

When he was knighted at the age of 21, he was slapped in the face by his father, Old Balian, which symbolized an unstoppable challenge.

Now Balian is also charging forward, with an abyss in front of him.

But Balian knew that when he rode across the abyss, someone was waiting for him on the other side.

[That person is the revealer of hope, that person knows that the end of history is happiness. ]

【Because the Son of the living God has been born, hope has become human and has been born into the world. 】

【The eternal night has passed, this is a time of joy and celebration. 】

[The world is no longer an absurd hell, because God wants to become a human being and walk among the world...]

【The plan for humans to become gods has been realized, and utopia will become the utopia of the human world.】

A candle lit up the fields of the Transjordan Plateau, and tens of thousands of people cheered.

It was not limited to the Franks, even the Saracens were raising their hands together!
The day when Jerusalem truly becomes the Kingdom of Heaven is not far away.

"Baldwin, when you heard in hell that Jerusalem had fallen into such a state, would you shed tears?"

However, when he rode to the holy city of Jerusalem, the abyss that cut through the real world had already separated him from Jerusalem.

While Balian was going to Gaza for help, Saladin arrived in Jerusalem earlier than he expected.

In response, Balian led his horse and walked towards Saladin's camp.

He was stopped as a matter of course, but when he revealed his identity, he walked into the Sultan's tent like a king.

Saladin met Balian. Standing in front of him was a weathered middle-aged man with a weathered face covered with scars and a robe stained with blood. He stood there and it was impossible to ignore him.

Compared with Guyi and his ilk, he is many times stronger!
"Ballian"

Saladin called him by his first name.

Saladin

Balian also called him by his first name.

"We haven't seen each other for some years."

"After so many years of not seeing each other, I never thought that our reunion would be under the city of Jerusalem."

The conversation between Balian and Saladin was tit-for-tat.

Even though Balian is now surrounded by Saracens, he still holds his own, perhaps because his body is covered in blood.

Saladin walked around Balian a few times, examining this model of knights, trying to figure out what he was thinking, and then he asked directly:
"Just tell me what you want to say."

"I want to go into the city." Balian's eyes flickered unconsciously.

"Why?"

"My wife and children are all in the city. I hope to send them away to avoid the calamity of war."

While speaking, Balian's eyelids drooped a little, and he swallowed subconsciously, unwilling to look Saladin in the eye.

Saladin showed a half-smile on his face. No one spoke in the tent for a long time, and Balian's momentum weakened a little.

Just as Balian swallowed his saliva for the second time, he heard a voice: "I agree."

"you sure?"

"I am sure."

Balian opened his mouth, but finally didn't dare to look directly into Saladin's sincere eyes.

A gentleman can deceive others.

Obviously, Saladin was indeed a gentleman.

Surrounded by thousands of troops, Balian returned to Jerusalem.

He summoned the knights in the city and invited the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Iraklius.

Just as he was about to announce the matter to these people, someone came to tell Balian that a messenger from Saladin needed him to meet.

The messenger walked into the hall and expressed Saladin's intention in a condescending manner: Balian could stay in the city, while his wife and children could choose to leave the holy city of Jerusalem under the escort of the Mamluks.

This move was to ensure that Balian would have no worries when defending the city.

Balian opened his mouth. Saladin's style and bearing were broader than he had imagined.

At this time, Iraklio came to Balian and whispered to him:
"If you send Maria and the others away, Saladin will have hostages. Do you want to trust a pagan sultan?"

Balian stopped Iraklius from saying anything further.

Then, Balian turned around and said to the messenger: "I accept the gift from His Majesty."

The messenger was also quite surprised after hearing what Balian said.

Before he came here, he always thought that he was here to humiliate Balian.

Because he didn't trust the Franks, and he didn't believe that Balian was telling the truth.

Such a liar must be humiliated! He is not worthy of being treated seriously by Sultan Saladin.

Just as Iraklius said, if Balian really sent his wife and children out of the city and stayed here, he would have no way of knowing whether his wife and children would become Saladin's hostages.

Such mutual trust even moved the messenger.

"Your Majesty Saladin, your word must be kept."

"I know."

Before leaving, the messenger saluted to Balian, which was the courtesy proper to the Sultan.

Today, Balian is more qualified than Guy to represent the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

　Still one update is better than two updates
　　
　
(End of this chapter)