Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 182 Wash your feet with the blood of the wicked!

Night had fallen and Mono was patrolling with a team of soldiers.

On this plateau where the evening breeze blows gently, campfires flicker sporadically, bringing a touch of warmth to the surroundings.

A camp of 13,000 people, even if it was just temporary, was already too large to be managed.

That is, when Garys came, he not only brought a large amount of food and cloth, but also brought several hundred militiamen.

Only then was this huge camp managed to be set up.

That is, in Transjordan, the average night temperature in October is still around 10 degrees Celsius, and you can spend the night wrapped in a blanket.

Otherwise, the number of tents and beddings for 13,000 people would be frighteningly large.

Walking on the planned road, Mono could see the refugees wrapped in blankets brought by Gellis. Most of them were penniless and had been struggling against the autumn cold with thin clothes in the past few days.

It can be said that the blankets brought by Garys allowed them to sleep soundly in warmth.

During the patrol, Mono also walked to the isolation ward, where doctors were checking the conditions of the patients all night with torches.

Those who were weak were forced to drink thick soup, while some patients had their limbs held down and medicine forced into their mouths.

Just by smelling the indescribable spicy taste, Mono was sure that the potion must be very unpalatable.

These strangers always try their best to help the refugees, bring them warmth and cure their diseases.

Mono has begun to believe what Balian said. Perhaps this land is really the new Canaan.

After inspecting the area, Mono came to the women's camp.

Just as Mono arrived at this location, he saw a sneaky figure.

Mono, who noticed the unusual movement, immediately drew his sword and chased after him.

Over the past five days, keeping the marching force of 13,000 men under control required more than just Balian's personal prestige.

Many times, it is necessary to deal with the problem immediately, even if that means someone will bleed.

"stop!"

Hearing the loud shout behind him, the man in front ran even harder.
But after running for a while, the figure in front slowed down, then tripped over a stone and fell to the ground in a mess.

Seeing this, Mono quickened his pace and approached. Just as he was about to swing his sword to attack, he was tapped on the shoulder.

Almost subconsciously, Mono freed himself and slashed behind himself.

The sword blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Then, Mono suddenly felt that his attack had come in vain.

The person who had patted his shoulder earlier brushed past the tip of his sword in an almost horizontal motion!

After this strange moment, Mono realized that the person behind him was Garys whom he had met during the day, the "Prophet" mentioned by Balian.

Then he realized that Garys's movement was quite scary, because he dodged his sword by floating!
At the same time, Gaillis also spoke directly:
"Don't be impatient. This person actually doesn't have any bad intentions. You can listen to what he says and then make a judgment."

After a pause, Mono's eyes gradually softened in the darkness, and he retracted his sword slightly.

The man who fell to the ground was breathing heavily, his face full of anxiety.

He explained in a low voice: "I just want to see my wife and daughter. There have been some bad rumors in the camp recently, and I feel uneasy..."

There was a mixture of deep concern and fear in his voice.

Trust is expensive. Even when dealing with Balian, these refugees cannot trust him wholeheartedly.

Especially tonight, forcibly separating men and women has brought more fear and inevitably made these refugees have all kinds of concerns.

Although the soldiers kept saying that this was to avoid certain things from happening, some people were still worried and wanted to come and visit their wives.

Under the other party's nagging, mixed with guilt, Mono put away the sword but he continued: "Then why are you running! Can't you just explain it clearly!"

The man who fell to the ground was helped up by Garys. He was speechless for a moment, and finally uttered one word: "I'm scared."

Mono sighed and shook his head. He could understand this kind of human nature.

The moon in the sky is rising continuously, and people on earth have their own joys and sorrows.

……

In the early morning of the next day, many soldiers in armor began to ring bells, blow whistles, and beat gongs to wake up the sleeping refugees.

The militiamen loudly warned everyone to stay where they were and that breakfast would be served soon.

In order to make everyone queue up in an orderly manner, the refugees were repeatedly reminded that anyone who dared to disrupt the order would be beaten with a stick.

Garys treats the world with kindness, but he will also try to understand human nature with the greatest malice, because that's how the world is.

Since ancient times, providing relief to disaster victims has always been a difficult task, and when it comes to providing relief to victims fleeing famine, there has never been a time when it did not require the sacrifice of lives.

After the soldiers with swords on their waists and sticks in their hands repeatedly warned the refugee group not to make a commotion, special soldiers, escorted by other soldiers, brought in a number of wooden or iron barrels that exuded the fragrance of food.

Some of these wooden or iron barrels came from the reserves of the Yanen Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and a considerable number came from nearby villages.

The militiamen were exhausted after staying up all night just to prepare breakfast for 13,000 people.

If it weren't for Garys taking the lead personally, some people might have quit long ago.

At the same time, Balian and Mono organized the refugees in various camps to line up in an orderly manner to receive their food.

As the aroma of food filled the air, the refugees' anxious hearts gradually calmed down. At least the meal was not bad, and Balian should not sell them out.

Balian walked in the camp. After just one night, the whole camp seemed full of vitality under Garys's well-organized arrangement.

What was even more incomprehensible to him was that the soldiers who were distributing porridge did not show any reluctance on their faces, but were instead full of enthusiasm.

Under the leadership of their officers, they did all kinds of work that had nothing to do with the concept of the army, and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this relief operation.

It can be said that this army of less than 800 people is completely different from any large army Balian has seen in the past.

After the meal, the diversion began.

The first thing to do is to target the artisans among the refugees. They will be screened out first and most of them will be sent to Skar Village to continue expanding the scale of the craft workshop.

A smaller number stayed in the town of Al-Hadi.

The team of 13,000 people must be divided into at least three teams here, one team will stay in Arnon, one team will go to Karak, and the other team will go to Fort Montreal.

The peasant groups of these people who had farming experience were brought together and planned to reclaim wasteland and build a large number of new rural areas with the funding of religious groups or county governments.

As for other people who lack skills, they will be temporarily settled in various manors or Frank villages, and will be resettled after the situation stabilizes.

Throughout the process, Gillis showed a toughness that was extremely inconsistent with his past style.

Because he knew very well that now was not the time to reason with the refugee group if the diversion could not be completed within a few days.

Then these thirteen thousand people will consume the food reserves of Alhadi Town!
You have to know that with such a large population, the daily food consumption alone can reach at least seven tons, or 14,000 kilograms.

This scale of daily food supply is a nightmare-like consumption for a small town with a population of less than a thousand.

In this situation, Garys couldn't care less.

“We must prioritize efficiency right now.”

Rarely does Garys speak so seriously.
……

With the current capabilities of the Second Kingdom, there is actually not much administrative capacity at all.

It can only be said that with the help of trained militiamen and the example set by the Paladin group, the more than 10,000 people were basically diverted within a week.

The subsequent resettlement is an endless task.

But fortunately, at least it has nothing to do with Garys at the moment.

Garys also arranged a small yard for the Balian family, right next door to his.

When the Balian family arrived, in addition to his wife and children, there was also a housekeeper and several servants.

As there were too many people to fit in one small courtyard, the four kids were forced to live in the guest room in the Gellis courtyard and sleep with Isabella.

Then, every day before seven o'clock, the group of little ghosts would wake up Garys with their chattering in the yard.

In response, Gailis approached Isabella to negotiate: "How about arranging for them to go to school and let them live on campus?"

Since Arnon County is quite large and each village is quite far from the school, Al Hadi School actually has boarding facilities.

Then Garys heard Isabella decisively reject his proposal.

"No."

Faced with the girl who was protecting her children, Gailis was quite helpless, but at most he touched her head, knowing full well that she just wanted to spend more time with her brothers and sisters.

Because, if nothing unexpected happens, Isabella will be separated from these little devils again in a few days.

Just then, Garys's stomach growled.

The oldest boy among the kids shook the half-eaten barley cake in front of Gailis.

"Gallis, do you want to eat?"

Gailis did not answer, but shook his head and touched the little guy's head with a smile. The light brown hair reflected into a shining golden red in the morning light.

It can be said that Maria's children, including Isabella, have strong Greek ancestry. After saying hello and goodbye to these children.

Gailis brought Isabella to the residence of old John, the governor of Arnon County.

After Gellis arrived, more people came into the meeting room one after another.

Among them were the head of the synod Simon, the Orthodox priest Archos, the supreme commander of the standing army George, as well as Balian and Mono.

Basically, all the core upper echelons of the Second Kingdom have already attended the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, Orthodox priest Archos had some doubts.

"Rescue Tyr?"

"Yes, it is Tyre. Tyre is currently the most important port city among the remaining forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem."

"Once Tyre is captured, Saladin will no longer have any targets worth pursuing in the former Kingdom of Jerusalem, and we will be the first to bear the brunt of the attack."

Old John simply drew a map on the conference table to show everyone the current situation.

Now, it is already November, and the news about the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem is almost complete.

Currently in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, apart from those scattered castles, the two largest anti-Saladin forces are one in the north centered on Tyre, and the other is Gairis and others in Transjordan.

It can be said that Saladin is facing a choice, either Tyre or Transjordan. Or, take Tyre first and then Transjordan.

Once the war spreads to Transjordan, the current stable development will no longer be able to continue.

Arnon County, which had just gotten back on track, also needed to fully switch to a state of war.

Even if Gairis broke into Saladin's army alone, he would be beheaded immediately.

But it doesn't mean that this is the end of things. On the contrary, it will be the beginning of something worse.

Because Gairis has now expanded to a critical point, he does not have more power to take over the land outside of Transjordan.

He himself is unable to be present on multiple battlefields.

Then, in the absence of a leader, the Kingdom of Jerusalem would inevitably be taken over by the remaining Frankish nobles and the generals under Saladin.

The final result was that Garys and his men were still surrounded by various feudal lords.

Would spending so much effort to kill Saladin change the situation? When the Order was unable to control more land, it would simply replace a unified feudal lord with a group of scattered feudal lords.

To defeat a unified feudal lord, you only need one decisive battle or beheading. But if the opponent is replaced by a group of scattered feudal lords...

It is naturally impossible for Jerusalem to have so many bandits, but in a sense, the scattered feudal lords are indeed more troublesome than Saladin.

Because the more bulky it is, the more energy you have to spend to deal with it.

For Garys, the more united the enemies are, the easier it will be for him to behead them.

At this meeting, Gellis also expressed his thoughts.

"Unlike Transjordan, which is landlocked, Tyre is a seaport surrounded by the sea on three sides. As a seaport, Tyre can easily get assistance from Europe."

"We only need to pay a small price to solve Tyre's urgent problem. With the rise of the Third Crusade, Tyre can serve as a bridgehead and receive a steady stream of reinforcements from Europe."

"It can be said that as long as Tyre exists, Saladin will never be able to spare the time to launch a large-scale invasion of Outer Jordan."

After hearing what Gailis said, everyone else nodded.

It is actually quite easy to understand. To put it bluntly, the war is burning in Transjordan, which will affect the development of Transjordan.

But if he made a feint to the east and attacked in the west, creating trouble in Tyre and constantly exposing the threat of Tyre, then Saladin would not think of going south.

As far as it appeared to outsiders, Transjordan was a deadly place, a place under siege.

Karak is a fortified city. Considering the siege methods of the current era, it is impossible for ordinary people to capture Karak unless the food in the city is exhausted.

Therefore, as long as Transjordan does not provoke Saladin too much, it will always be a piece of chicken ribs in the eyes of the other party, which is tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

On the contrary, the port of Tyre will attract Saladin's attention because it can allow the Crusaders to land.

It was a strategic risk, but one that Gellis felt was worth taking.

Given the current militia strength in Transjordan, dealing with small groups of enemies should not be a problem.

"Who should we let rescue Tyr?"

Alchos asked this, but as he spoke, his eyes fell on a place that was not marked on the map drawn by John.

That is his hometown - Cyprus.

If people like Garys really control Tyre, it actually means that they are only one step away from Cyprus.

After all, it only takes one day and one night to reach Cyprus by boat from Tyre if you travel fast enough.

Garys noticed Aljos's gaze and knew exactly what the other wanted.

In Cyprus, there was an enemy of the Orthodox priest Archos, the Emperor of Cyprus.

It seems incredible that an insignificant Orthodox priest would become enemies with the Emperor of Cyprus, but it is true.

In fact, it is not just Archos, the Orthodox priest, but the people of the entire island of Cyprus, who have a blood feud with the Cypriot Emperor Isaac.

Gailis said directly: "I will personally lead the team to rescue Tyre, and Her Highness Isabella will go with me."

"As for you, Archos, our army needs a chaplain."

After hearing what Garys said, Aljos stood up and bowed slightly to Garys.

"It's my pleasure."

……

Cyprus is located in the south of Anatolia. The easternmost tip of the island is only 110 kilometers west of Latakia Port.

Since ancient times, Cyprus has been the main copper producing area in the eastern Mediterranean region. In classical Latin, copper was even named: aes cyprium, meaning the metal of Cyprus.

Unlike the Chinese region, there is no shortage of copper mines in Europe as a whole. Therefore, although copper coins are often used as subsidiary coins, they do not have the same status as copper coins in Chinese history, and there is no such thing as a natural currency.

However, even so, the metallic properties of copper make it the most easily utilized metal and it plays an indispensable role in human history.

In 88 BC, the then King of Egypt, Ptolemy X, donated Egypt and Cyprus to Rome as a legacy, but Rome rejected the will at the time. It was not until 58 BC that it officially incorporated it into the territory of the Republic and incorporated it into the province of Cilicia.

From this time on, Cyprus officially entered the Roman system. And from 293 AD, with the reforms of Derrick the Elder, Cyprus became part of the Eastern Empire until Isaac landed with his mercenaries.

The Roman rule was the most prosperous period for Cyprus, and the island's various outputs, including wine, oil, grain, copper, other minerals, timber, glass and shipbuilding, brought it a lot of funds in trade.

The emphasis on road transportation since the Roman period has connected the entire island into a whole, enabling more efficient transportation of goods and raw materials, giving it a developed production capacity.

As a member of the Komnenos family, Isaac, after escaping from captivity, used the ransom raised by the Komnenos family for his daughter to hire a group of mercenaries, forged documents, and forcibly landed on the island in the name of the Governor of Cyprus.

After landing on the island, Isaac proclaimed himself emperor on the island of Cyprus and was known as a tyrant.

From the day of his coronation, Isaac began to plunder Cyprus, rape women, defile virgins, and impose excessively cruel punishments on criminals, even punishing the innocent at will.

Archos was a priest in the Church of Cyprus.

During a mass, the emperor's mercenaries broke into his church, robbed the worshippers, and attempted to violate young women.

Archos stepped forward and pleaded with the soldiers: "In the name of God, I ask you, I beg you, I command you! Don't do this!"

But it was useless, these soldiers were not Christians, the sacred church instantly became a place of violence, and the girl's cry became the tragedy of Cyprus.

Aljos himself was also severely beaten.

The next day, before he even got out of bed, he received an order to go to Antioch.

That's how he was captured by the Turks, sold to Damascus, and finally came to Transjordan.

When Gellis mentioned that he was going to rescue Tyre, Aljos realized something.

The fastest voyage from Tyre to Cyprus is only one day and one night, if the prophet could set foot on that island.

Then Cyprus will be saved, and that beautiful, ancient and rich island will be reborn.

The oath that Aljos made in the past can now be fulfilled.

When Archos was exiled to Antioch, he was thinking: Why is the Day of Judgment of the Lord not coming yet?

Then, Archos will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked!

May a furious and fierce wind scatter them all before they know the fire of their calamity! The righteous will rejoice when he sees the great vengeance, and will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

—Psalm 58:11
The proposal to support Tyre became the consensus of the upper echelons of the Second Kingdom, and Garys also took the initiative to participate in military training during this period, contrary to his usual behavior.

Nowadays, whether it is the hundreds of troops brought by Balian, or the militia or regular army of Arnon County, they are all receiving training on how to use chariots.

It can be said that when Gillis lit the fuse, he could say:
"Sir, times have changed."

It's time to let the knights know what the "Hussite Devil" is two hundred and thirty years in advance.

The above pictures are from the comic "My Mom is the Emperor of Shinra", written by HeX.

This comic vividly and interestingly explains some modern European history, and it is completely free of charge.

Students who are interested can go and have a look.

　6000 words chapter, two in one
　　
　
(End of this chapter)