Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 181 Heading to Canaan (8000 words long chapter)
[Put together seven parts of saltpeter, five parts of young hazel branches, and five parts of sulphur, and you will be able to create thunder and destruction, if you know the art.]

——On the Marvelous Powers of Art and Nature

Author: English monk Roger Bacon, written around 1242

……

Although Garys said that you have to try it to know.

But after thinking it over, Garys gave up the idea of ​​loading the barrel with the perfect formula of black powder.

Then he spent some time with Marwan and some trusted Paladins to prepare the chestnut gunpowder.

Unlike black powder, maroon powder uses incompletely carbonized charcoal, which burns slowly and is relatively less likely to explode. In other words, it can be used as a propellant for large-caliber artillery.

The caliber is the length of the gun barrel divided by the muzzle diameter, rounded to the nearest integer. It will appear on the label with the letter L, meaning length. For example, 40mm/70 or 40mm/L70, the 70 at the end means that the length of the gun barrel is about 70 times the caliber of the gun.

The longer the shell is exposed to the gases produced by the propellant in the barrel, the higher the muzzle velocity will be, the greater the energy will be, and the straighter the trajectory will be.

The basic principle is that when gunpowder explodes, the air expands due to heat. The longer the barrel, the more work the air does on the projectile, and the greater the kinetic energy of the projectile.

Theoretically, under the same caliber and charge, the larger the caliber, the more powerful the shell will be, and of course the easier it will be to explode.

By using chestnut gunpowder that is less likely to explode, the portability of the artillery can be improved while increasing the caliber to increase power and even save materials.

Even maroon gunpowder was used by the British Royal Navy until the 19th century.

Of course, unlike the later generations who used chestnut gunpowder to increase the power of artillery, the reason why Garys wanted to use chestnut gunpowder was mainly because he was worried that the quality of the wrought iron barrel cannon was too poor.

After all, the gun barrel obtained in this way is not strong enough overall.

On the same day that Saladin let Balian enter the city of Jerusalem.

On the plateau of Transjordan, Gailis led everyone to a location quite far away from the town of Alhadi.

Now, the ground under his feet was a little soft because it had rained a little not long ago, but it was not enough to dispel the heat here.

The rugged mountains in the distance are like the backbone of the earth, stretching across the sky.

There was a hint of heat in the dry air, making the mountains seem to float in the field of vision.

The wind blew from the north, stirring up fine sand and dust. This place was vast and boundless, far away from the world.

Gally deliberately chose Tuesday to test the artillery.

Because today is Sunday, the day of Mars, the god of war, and also the day of Tyr, the god of war.

Isabella and Old John were watching Gailis' actions from the side.

Gellis first ordered Simon and his men to set up a thick wooden target about 30 steps away.

He demonstrated to Marwan and others how to load the shells.

First, Gellis took out the chestnut powder cakes wrapped in paper from a wooden box carried by a Paladin.

He weighed it briefly and it should be slightly heavier than one-fifth of a pound.

Then it was pushed accurately into the muzzle of the cannon, and during the process, the faint sulfur smell of gunpowder wafted away.

Then, Garys took out a small iron ball from another box. The ball was less than two knuckles in diameter, but it was polished to be extremely smooth, and it shone with a cold luster in the sunlight.

Gellis himself carefully pushed him into the barrel of the gun and tamped him down again with a push rod.

After this step was completed, Gellis took out an iron spike and pierced the paper bag containing gunpowder from the gun port at the breech of the gun. He then inserted the prepared fuse into the gun port and took aim.

However, after this step was completed, Garys did not rush to light the fuse.

Instead, he took a deep breath, pinched his thumb, index finger and middle finger together, and drew a cross from top to bottom and from right to left.

The thumb, index and middle fingers symbolize the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and Gelis's way of making the sign of the cross is a typical Orthodox way.

Then he turned around and said to the rather nervous crowd:

"Let me tell you a story. In a land unknown to you, there once lived a saint."

"That saint is Stalin. He once said, 'Artillery is the god of war' and wrote 'An attack without artillery is a crime' into his orders."

"With the help of artillery, Saint Stalin won the war against the Nazi demons who believed in fascism."

Garys' words puzzled everyone present, but Aljos did react.

Because Gellis had drawn the Orthodox cross before, he felt that Saint Stalin must have some inextricable connection with the Orthodox Church.

"Prophet, do you mean to say that Saint Stalin is the patron saint of artillery?"

"Yes, St. Stalin once said: 450 guns are needed for every thousand steps, and this is our first gun."

As he spoke, Garys patted the short and thick pipe.

As for Stalin's merits and demerits, Gairlis actually had no intention of commenting, but sometimes, he could not suppress the strong desire to make trouble in his heart.

Therefore, Saint Stalin replaced Saint Barbara in history and became the patron saint of artillerymen.

"Saint Stalin, great guardian, steadfast patron saint,"

"You lead us with your fearless strength; you turn the roar of cannons into the trumpet of victory."

"Please listen to our prayers and protect the cannon from exploding."

"Please listen to our prayers and make sure every shell hits the target."

"I beg you to protect us from the temptations of the Nazi devil."

"We humbly pray that God will condemn the Nazis;"

"Steel Saint, please use the power of God to send the Nazis and all evil souls to hell."

"Let the power of artillery become the sharp sword in our hands, and may the enemy tremble at the sound of it and retreat at the power of it."

"Amen."

Garys said a prayer and motioned for the others to move back.

Although the first charge was only about 100g, and it was chestnut gunpowder.

But it's better to be cautious, as others don't have his ability to stop time.

Gellis took a torch and lit the fuse. Sparks crackled and the flames quickly followed the fuse to the barrel of the gun.

Even Garys took a few steps back during this process.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two dull explosions echoed in the air, deafening the ears. The guns recoiled violently, and the gun carriages vibrated, raising a cloud of dust.

The cannonball flew towards the wooden target 30 steps away with unstoppable force.

This step refers to natural walking, which is the distance a person takes two steps, approximately between 1.4 meters and 1.6 meters.

But the wooden target, which was half a palm thick, was not smashed into pieces. It just had a hole in it with wood chips flying around.

Even so, Old John, Simon and others who went forward to check were quite amazed.

Since this weapon called a cannon can penetrate a wooden board that is nearly half a palm thick, it can naturally kill a fully armed knight easily.

As for Garys, he took Marwan to check the condition of the gun barrel.

I have to say that the barrel cannon built by Marwan is of good quality. After firing a shot, there is no deformation noticeable to the naked eye.

"I will leave you. After I leave, if you want to protect yourself, besides praying to God, it is more important to know God's wisdom."

To be honest, it’s time to give the old masters of the old times a shocking look at Jan Dzeka’s Hussite chariot.

……

The chariot fortress tactics, or chariot barrier tactics, actually came into being in human history before the birth of Christ.

The most classic example is Wei Qing's expedition against the Xiongnu, in which he used heavy vehicles to form a circular formation to provide protection for Han archers, crossbowmen and infantry to resist the Xiongnu cavalry charge.

It can be seen that the chariot-fort tactics has been a unique way to fight against cavalry from the very beginning, and it is beneficial for long-range soldiers to attack the enemy more efficiently.

In the 15th century, more than two hundred years later in Europe, Jan Hus (John Hus) criticized the corruption of the church and the Pope for the same religious reasons, opposed indulgences and also opposed the sale of simony.

Hus opposed a church composed entirely of clergy, declaring that common people were also members of the church.

His remarks were regarded by the authorities as anti-secular imperial power and anti-church theocracy. After being distorted and slandered, he was eventually found guilty and sentenced to death.

Before the execution, Imperial Marshal von Pappenheim asked Hus to give up his faith in front of Count Palatinate, claiming that this would save his own life.

But Hus refused, saying: "God is my witness that I have never preached the things that I am accused of. I have written, taught, and preached the truth of the gospel, and I have drawn on the words and positions of the holy fathers. Today I am ready to die."

It is said that when he was about to die, he cried out: "Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us!"

The Bohemian people were outraged, and Hus's supporters and followers completely abandoned the Roman Catholic Church, sounding the prelude to the Reformation.

Rome then launched a "crusade" against Bohemia. Pope Martin V issued a papal bull authorizing the execution of all those who supported Hus.

There were three crusades against the Hussites, and the results were as follows...

The Czech national hero, General Jan Česka, was born, and a century later, 90% of the Bohemian population still followed the Hussite faith. Of course, it was not all smooth sailing, and the outcome of the Hussite Wars was not a fairy tale...

Four words are enough to describe the value of General Jan Deska: "never failed once."

From being blind in one eye to later being blind in both eyes, Jan Deska won all the battles he commanded.

In the first battle, 400 old peasants were used to defeat 2000 Bohemian royalists.

At the end of the game, Jan Deska lost 200 of his own men in exchange for 1200 casualties for the enemy.

Relying on the tactics of chariots and firearms, Jan Deschamps' army took into account mobility, firepower and defense. In all the battles, its own losses were often only in the single digit or tens of digits.

This style of play, which relies on firepower advantage to beat the knights of the old times, is exactly what Garys needs now.

In the following days, apart from teaching, Garys worked with Marwan and the blacksmiths to tinker with firearms.

In these ordinary days.

A small guard escorted two carriages coming from afar, accompanied by a platoon of militia.

The militiamen of Arnon were certainly not the guards of the two carriages; in fact, quite the opposite; they traveled with them because they were wary of those guards.

This small guard came from the Mamluks and was Saladin's personal guard.

For the Islamic world, slaves are people who provide services, and those who provide war services to their lords can also be slaves.

The Sultans, Emirs, and various Islamic rulers of Egypt forcibly took Armenian, Turkic, and Coptic boys away from their families so that they could receive more than a decade of daily training to become slave soldiers.

The Mamluks were not like the Frankish levies or knights; they were indeed slaves, but they were also certainly professional soldiers.

These people have been trained, brainwashed, and killed since childhood...

They are the sharpest double-edged sword in the hands of their masters. They can go on expeditions to all corners of the world, but they can also betray their masters without any scruples.

And this team was escorting Balian's family.

……

The atmosphere in the dessert shop in Alhadi Town was a little awkward.

Gellis and Isabella sat side by side, and in front of them was Maria Komnenos.

Maria, born in 1154, brought a different kind of oppression from Balian. If Gailis faced Balian directly, he could easily control her.

Maria, on the other hand, was much more pure. The way she looked at Garys was exactly like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

After all, Balian is just Isabella's stepfather, but Maria is Isabella's biological mother.

Observing some of the subtle expressions between the young man and woman, recalling Balian's description, and adding the interactions between the two when they were young, Maria realized that many things were actually self-evident.

"So, you have secretly decided to spend your lives together?"

"Cough cough..."

Maria used a big move in her first words, and even Garys almost choked.

"No, not yet."

"Tsk."

Maria showed a look of regret. In a sense, she was actually quite envious of her daughter.

Maria is only 32 years old now. She gave birth to Isabella when she was 17.

Marriages between nobles were often cold exchanges, and women were just tools to gain benefits. Maria was only the great-great-granddaughter of Alexius I and the great-granddaughter of John II.

When she was 12 years old, because she was going to marry Amalric I, King of Jerusalem, she was adopted as the granddaughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel I and was given the title of princess.

Isabella was also forced to be engaged to Reynald's stepson, Humphrey IV of Toruń, a few years ago.

In terms of results, perhaps the current situation is not a bad thing for Isabella.

"I heard you beat up Humphrey?"

Maria was very dissatisfied with her daughter's marriage, and this dissatisfaction was suppressed to the extreme after Humphrey took the initiative to submit to Guy and his wife. According to Maria's own views from some Eastern Roman traditions, she insisted that Isabella's succession order took precedence over Sibylla.

This tradition is called Born in the Purple Room.

Isabella's sister Sibylla was born before Amaury was crowned king, while Isabella was born after Amaury was crowned king.

This tradition means that children born to parents of noble status will always be in the spotlight from an early age and are destined to play an important role in the royal power.

Listening to Maria's words, Gailis could feel her joy. It was obvious that his future mother-in-law had a keen interest in Humphrey's humiliation.

"No."

Gailis could see that Maria looked unhappy when she heard his denial.

"But I killed Stephanie."

"Cough cough..."

This time it was Maria who was choked, and for a moment the offensive and defensive situation between the two was reversed.

Even Maria had never thought that Gailis would say such a thing.

But then, Maria regained her facial expression, forced herself to calm down, and asked calmly:

"What's the reason?"

"She is my enemy."

As Gailis finished saying these words, he saw the corners of the lady's mouth rise in front of him, and her body slightly tilted back, revealing her amazing curves.

"good."

When Maria uttered this compliment, Gaillis was sure it came from the heart, and she might even think that Stephanie's death was too easy.

To be honest, Gellis' stereotype of the Eastern Roman Empire was further deepened. With just a look, Maria showed him what a Greek old woman was.

This group of Greek nobles really don't take the lives of the nobles seriously. The word Byzantine has become a collection of stereotypes of the Eastern Roman Empire these days.

Some of the characteristics displayed by Maria Komnenos were even considered "vicious" in the Frankish aristocratic circle.

"When the time is right, we should hold the wedding as soon as possible, and avoid any scandals of pregnancy before marriage."

The pressure from the mother-in-law to get married was undoubtedly a huge pressure, so much so that Isabella took the initiative to come over and hold Garys' hand to provide "encouragement".

In other words, it should be about exerting pressure.

What can Gillis do about this? Should he say that he has never done such a thing so far?
Therefore, apart from nodding silently, Gellis had nothing to say.

As for the little kids on the side, even though they each had dessert in their hands, they couldn't stop their mouths, so they all joined in the booing.

In this dessert shop, besides Maria, there are also Isabella's four half-brothers and sisters.

……

[There were 8000 women and children in total, and they were quickly separated by us. The weeping of the Christians brought smiles to the soldiers’ faces.]

[How many well-guarded women were desecrated, how many virgins were humiliated, how many proud women were deprived of their chastity, how many beautiful women were kissed on the red lips, how many happy women were made to cry, and how many nobles took them as concubines.]

[How many passionate men are crazy about them, how many hungry men are satisfied by them, and how many irritable men are able to vent their passion. ]

—Muhammad ibn Hamid, recorded in 1187

Saladin was indeed a man of noble character. He was merciful enough to release thousands of people for free without asking for ransom, but this did not mean that the soldiers under his command would do the same.

In fact, during this process of preparing for refugee migration, rape, looting, murder... did not disappear.

Of course, compared to what the Franks did when they captured Jerusalem in 1099, what Saladin's army did could even be considered "human nature" in that era.

Even Balian endured the humiliation and stopped his soldiers from drawing their swords.

After Balian collected enough food and stored up drinking water, he led the 13,000 people behind him and left Jerusalem almost in an escaping attitude.

[Because of the affliction and great bondage which she endured, Judah went into exile among the nations; she dwelt among the nations, and could not find rest; all her pursuers overtook her in a narrow place.]

—Lamentations 1:3
Today, these thirteen thousand people have become wanderers who have left their homeland. They look back at the walls of Jerusalem, as if they can still hear the ridicule from the Saracens.

For a moment, countless people wept and cried bitterly.

"Her enemies have gained the upper hand, her adversaries have triumphed, because of her sins, because of the punishment of the Lord; her little ones have been taken captive, they are prisoners before her enemies."

Even Balian couldn't help but sigh, and then looked at a knight beside him.

"Mono."

"exist."

"Why do you still want to follow me? I am already deeply sinful now."

Balian had already taken off the unclean burqa and put on a pure white robe.

However, no matter how Balian washed his body, he could still feel the faint smell of blood lingering at the tip of his nose.

As for the souls of the dead, they often utter their curses.

"My Lord, you once said that we would go to hell together, but now I think I can still save it."

"Save?" Balian couldn't understand for a moment.

Today, there are only five hundred soldiers still following Balian, and these five hundred people are from the lower classes of Jerusalem.

And there were only three knights still following Balian closely.

All the other knights who were temporarily appointed by Balian believed that Balian had betrayed them.

Because those knights followed Balian to fight, but their families still had to face Balian's blackmail.

"It is just as you said, sir."

"I believe that a church consisting only of priests is nothing but a pile of walking corpses, and a church is nothing but a pile of stones. The real temple is the temple of the human heart."

"That heart is not the heart of Iraklius and his people, but the heart of these thirteen thousand people."

Balian looked at the young Frank and felt somewhat touched. He seemed to see the shadow of Gailis in this young man.

He chuckled and said, "I didn't say that. I just repeated it."

"In a few days, you will see the prophet who predicted what happened today."

"How can the physical temple resist the erosion of time? One day, it will collapse and turn into dust."

“However, the invisible temple will be rebuilt in the hearts of believers and passed down from generation to generation.”

"His Father had revealed to him that on this broken land, a bright pearl would shine, and its light would illuminate all nations and every corner of the world."

"His father also announced to him: A great nation will rise here. It will no longer be the place of disputes and disputes among nobles of the past, but a sign of the coming of the kingdom of heaven."

"This nation must take the cleansing of the world's evil as its destiny, but if it strays from the right path and becomes corrupt and degenerate, it will inevitably collapse."

"However, before that day comes, we will push open the door of heaven and step into a new era, in which everyone will have enough food and clothing, diseases will be cured, and plagues will be avoided."

As Balian spoke, even the dark clouds in the sky dissipated.

For a moment, the sun shone on the earth, bringing unprecedented hope.

The refugees who followed Balian seemed to regard this scene as a miracle and made the sign of the cross one after another.

"Mono, you are not from Jerusalem."

"I am really just a pilgrim."

"Then your experience during this period is really..."

"It was unexpected. I thought so too."

After a few casual chats, looking at the refugees who were almost gathered, Balian jumped on his horse and prepared to guide the team in the direction of advance.

At this moment, Mono suddenly shouted:
"My Lord! I have a question."

"what happened?"

"Where are we going?"

"We will go to Canaan."

Therefore I have determined to bring you out of the privation of the Egyptians and to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.

—Exodus 3:17
……

It is actually not far from Jerusalem to Transjordan, only less than a hundred kilometers.

Therefore, after preparing food for about five days, the marching team of 13,000 people began to move.

Overall, the process is relatively smooth.

When they were approaching the Arnon Valley, Balian announced to all the refugees that Canaan was approaching, where there would be food and clean water, and no army of Saladin would dare to invade.

Before he set out, he had already sent cavalry to notify the town of Alhadi.

As all this was part of the plan more than half a year ago.

After Garys made the prediction with Balian, he began to prepare for today's situation.

In the past six months, that is, after the spring harvest, not only did Garys not sell even a grain of grain, but he had to increase his purchasing efforts.

The purchasing direction includes not only local farmers, but also the caravans passing by, such as Zayed and his party.

During this trade process, Gairis frantically stockpiled grain at a price nearly 2.5 times that of the Nile region.

Although a price of 2.5 times is not very prominent in the trade of this era, considering that wheat is a bulk commodity... the transaction volume is indeed quite scary.

If the Arnon Valley could not produce goods on its own, it would have to rely on various means and try every means to earn money from passing merchants.

Even the gold coins that came out of the tax farmer's family were not enough for Garys to spend freely.

Of course, even so, Gailis still felt that it was a bit too extreme, because that guy Balian actually brought a full 13,000 Franks to Transjordan!

This number is large enough to change the population ratio in the Transjordan region!

It can be said that if it can be digested well, the Transjordan region will usher in a rapid development in the next two years.

But if it is not digested properly, or if conflicts, famine or plague occur in the process, it will be another huge disaster.

After receiving the news from Balian, Arnon County and Karak County, which had just finished autumn plowing, were mobilized.

Thousands of people, under the command of the holy knights of the order, were divided into groups, transporting food, collecting clothing, and building more houses.

All preparations were made in full swing for the arrival of these 13,000 people.

Today, the system of Arnon County can be clearly divided into two teams.

One is the parliamentary system, which enables each village to centralize power and opinions through internal elections and ultimately reach a consensus in the county council.

Because there are representatives from various villages in the parliament, orders from the upper levels can be passed down.

This process will inevitably highlight local protectionism, bureaucratization, procrastination, and formalism in the future history...

But for now, during the few years that Gellis was in Arnon, things were running smoothly enough due to his high prestige.

The other is the religious system.

It is different from the parliamentary system which is clear and unambiguous and is a bottom-up democratic and centralized system.

The ecclesiastical system of Gellis is actually much more complicated. Not only is there a distinction between priests and Paladins, but there is also a complex relationship between the central ecclesiastical center and local priests.

It can only be said that, as far as the results are concerned, those scattered priests and Paladins all obey Gairis, assisting Gairis in increasing propaganda efforts and mobilizing the grassroots people to welcome this refugee wave together.

Because of his sufficient preparation, when Balian saw Garys again, he showed a hearty smile.

Behind Garys, a number of carriages were loaded with large amounts of cloth for the thugs to keep warm, enough food for the thugs to last two days, as well as charcoal or wood as fuel and a batch of extremely precious medicines.

With the help of the Arnon militia, Mono, his soldiers and refugees began to build a temporary camp.

The pot was set up, and the aroma of food gradually filled the air.

Such a camp with a scale of 13,000 people is at least 400 meters wide in length and width, which was a very difficult project in that era.

To ensure order, the elderly and children are in a separate camp area, women in a separate camp area, and men in the same camp area. The patients are also gathered and isolated in a single area.

And Garys could also feel the changes in Balian.

If Balian was a generous knight when they first met, he was full of carefreeness and concern for the future of Jerusalem.

But now Balian shows a sense of knowing his fate.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the doctrine."

In response to Balian's words, Gaillis said:
“There is laid up for you a crown of righteousness.”

　One chapter equals three chapters, so I have already completed the extra chapters for 800 monthly votes. Currently, I still need 900 and 1000 monthly votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)