Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 188 Life is not easy, Saladin sighs (two in one)

It was just a chance encounter on the street, but Irakliou didn't intend to waste any more words on it.

Balian was crazy. This was not a question but a fact.

Two months and a half ago, Balian's body was covered in blood, and the sword in his hand was already broken and mottled.

When such a man led his army into his house and ordered him to hand over three thousand gold dinars, Iraklius knew that Balian was crazy.

He actually put the sword on his own neck for the lives of those untouchables!
If Iraklius had not realized in time that the madness in Balian's pupils was genuine, he would not have said a word.

I’m afraid not. The grass on Irakliu’s grave is now three feet high.

The feeling of walking on the edge of life and death, with your life in the hands of others, is not a pleasant experience.

In fact, even after two months, Iraklius would often wake up from his dreams.

Under the circumstances, his attitude towards Balian was, of course, quite bad.

Iraklio looked at Balian again, and then saw Isabella behind Balian.

Then he snorted coldly, and said nothing more except "Barian, take care of yourself."

But Iraklius' attitude also announced to Balian and others that the city was not peaceful.

However, at such a critical moment.

Gailis found Balian and said directly, "You are in full charge of Tyre City. I may not be able to take care of it in the short term."

Currently, Garys and Balian are in a study.

On the table between the two of them, there was a simple map spread out.

The current forces of the holy land are roughly marked on the map.

At present, in the Holy Land area, Saladin has an absolute advantage and has taken over most of the cities and ports of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Only a few fortresses are still holding on.

Apart from Saladin, there was the Second Kingdom of Gelis, which occupied Transjordan, Mount Tabor, and the city of Tyre.

Overall, it is not coherent, but Mount Tabor and the city of Tyre are both vital locations and should not be underestimated.

Further north, there are two Crusader kingdoms: the County of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch.

There were originally four Crusader states. The northernmost one, the County of Edessa, was destroyed by Saladin's former employer, the Zengid Sultanate, long before the Second Crusade.

It was precisely because of the destruction of the County of Edessa that the Second Crusades were launched.

The current situation is somewhat similar to the past, except that this time it is the Kingdom of Jerusalem that is the first to be conquered.

Saladin, the Second Kingdom, the County of Tripoli, and the Principality of Antioch, these four forces are the four chess players in the vortex of the Holy Land today.

Of course, in terms of population, the other three combined are less than one twentieth of Saladin.

This was exactly the reason why Gailis wanted to find Balian and say this today, the first day he entered the city of Tyre.

"The isolated city of Tyrne now has access to food from Antioch and reinforcements from Tripoli by sea, but it still lacks a true rear base."

Listening to Garys' words, Balian also nodded.

"I know what you mean. Transjordan can't provide us with much help."

In fact, this time, Gairis has emptied the financial resources of Transjordan.

He took away all the artillery and 70% of the standing army.

Given the current situation in the Transjordanian territory, it will need to focus on self-preservation for a considerable period of time to come, and naturally it will be unable to come to the aid of the city of Tyre.

"We need a rear area, a place that can produce artillery, obtain fresh troops, and establish contact with Europe!"

When Garys said this, Balian actually knew what Garys was talking about.

Balian set his sights on the island of Cyprus. At present, the force most suitable as foreign aid is the closest there.

"But will Isaac support us?"

Isaac, Emperor of Cyprus, was an ambitious man who usurped the island of Cyprus from the Eastern Empire.

Although he is also a Christian, given the current relationship between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as well as his personal interests, it is unlikely that this guy would aid the Crusaders.

"The Emperor of Cyprus will not, but the people of Cyprus will."

Balian had been with Garys for a few days, and when he heard this, he knew that Garys was planning to take the initiative.

"How many people are needed?"

"Me, Aljos, and a few Paladins are enough. We don't need too many people."

Hearing what Garys said, Balian frowned subconsciously: "Isn't this enough?"

"That's enough. You have to understand that Cyprus is an isolated island, and I am a [prophet]."

For a moment, Balian did not quite understand the meaning of Garys' words. He could not figure out what the connection was between the lonely island and the prophet.

But since Gaillis intends to come forward in person and claim to be a prophet, then this is actually God's will.

Subconsciously, Balian made the sign of the cross.

"But what about the timing? Now that Saladin's army is gathering, won't he make a desperate move and attack us?"

"I mean, if you weren't here, wouldn't it be too difficult for the soldiers in Acre to defend the city when facing Saladin's land and sea attacks and tens of thousands of people attacking the city?"

Gellis also gave an answer to Balian's question.

This answer is translated into Chinese characters as an idiom. When Balian heard that sentence, he realized that Gailis did have outstanding strategic vision.

“There is a gap between the old and the new.”

……

In the idiom "the gap between green and yellow", the "green" refers to young seedlings, and the "huang" refers to the yellow crops.

It means that the crops are not yet ripe and the old grain has been eaten.

It also refers to the lack of connection between the old and the new or the interruption of subsequent human, material and financial resources.

Today is the last day of 1187, and in one more night it will be 1188.

This is the first rainy season in the eastern Mediterranean region, which means the seedlings have grown and it also means that it has been seven months since the last harvest.

Not to mention Saladin's troops, even the farmers themselves don't have much surplus food.

Mobilizing an army of a thousand people is easy enough, but mobilizing an army of ten thousand people means that even if you burn a village, you won’t be able to burn enough food.

Especially now, it is the winter rainy season in Palestine, the temperature is cold and rainy, and the roads are muddy and difficult to march.

When you are hungry, cold and wet in the rain, this is not the time to fight!
Therefore, during this winter, Saladin dispersed his legions throughout Jerusalem, quietly waiting for the next suitable combat season to arrive.

During these days, Saladin met with some defeated soldiers in the city of Jerusalem.

These defeated soldiers included survivors of the Battle of Mount Tabor and survivors of the battle outside Tyre.

Because these defeated soldiers gathered in Jerusalem, information about these two battles became more and more detailed.

"You mean, they have a weapon that can make a loud noise and kill you at a distance of one or two hundred steps?"

Listening to the incoherent statements of these defeated soldiers, Saladin frowned.

"Are you sure it's not a counterweight trebuchet?"

The answer is of course no, because according to the description of the defeated soldiers, that kind of weapon can also spray flames and iron stones at a short distance.

Dozens of cavalrymen and their horses were shot to pieces in an instant.

This is also the source of the initial rumors about the dragon's roar, because the effect displayed by that weapon is like dragon's breath.

This made Saladin feel particularly confused. It was difficult for him to restore the original appearance of the weapons according to the descriptions of the defeated soldiers.

"You mean you heard an explosion and smelled a strange smell?"

Things are getting tricky.

A new, never-heard-of weapon that kills efficiently at close range and can also spook horses is not good news.

After falling into deep thought, Saladin gathered the wise men around him and discussed for a long time.

Until one of his advisers proposed a possibility: "Chinese snow."

"It shouldn't be this effect, right?" Sarah was a little skeptical.

As early as the 9th century, the Arabs had clear records about the properties of saltpeter, indicating that they had conducted relevant experiments.

Bir ibn Hayyan, Razi and others regarded saltpeter as an important raw material for alchemy.

In essence, it is not much different from the Chinese Taoist alchemists inventing gunpowder.

However, the Arabs did not study the formula of black powder in detail.

Combining the properties of saltpeter, the Arabs in Egypt were able to create a combustible agent.

The incendiary agent prepared with saltpeter had some explosive effect, but it was too weak. At most, it helped the incendiary agent explode, splashing the burning petroleum extract everywhere, thus setting the city on fire.

In 1168 AD, during the siege of Maghrezid, the last Grand Vizier of the Fatimid dynasty ignited 54 jars of oil in order to resist the attack of the Franks, and the fire burned for days.

Later, among the cultural relics unearthed in Old Cairo, a large number of well-preserved fire pots were discovered, many of which contained saltpeter, or substances similar to gunpowder.

Dr. Abdullah from Alhadi Town had been in Cairo and was therefore exposed to relevant knowledge.

However, the Arabs reached a dead end because of the combustion-promoting effect of saltpeter, and their technical route was, in a sense, "wrong".

In order to confirm his guess, Saladin asked someone to fetch some saltpeter, which he lit and asked the defeated soldiers to smell.

Then I got an answer: "Somewhat similar, but not the same."

Similarity means that saltpeter may indeed be present, while inconsistency means that something is missing.

Saladin frowned. He still couldn't imagine the relationship between saltpeter, explosion, and causing casualties at a distance of two hundred steps.

Out of caution, Saladin felt that he needed to investigate and find out what was going on.

For this reason, even now December is not a suitable season for war.

Even though there is a shortage of young people now,
Saladin assembled a 3,000-man army and planned to go to Tyre to check the situation and prepare for a large-scale offensive next year. The gains and losses of a city or a place were not particularly important to Saladin now, but whether the offensive next year could be finalized was something Saladin had to consider.

If possible, Saladin hoped to completely flatten the coastline of the Levant after the spring harvest of 1188.

We must drive these Frankish colonists into the sea completely!

When bonfires were lit on Mount Tabor at night and smoke signals rose during the day, the defenders in Tyre knew that another tough battle was about to begin.

At the same time, the defenders in the city also saw the masts of the paddle boats exposed on the sea horizon.

……

January 1188 was indeed not a suitable season for war.

The continuous heavy rain dampened the soldiers' enthusiasm.

What should have been a lively and passionate looting activity became dull and dull, as if it were just work.

In fact, the siege of Tyre was indeed a "job" rather than a siege for Saladin.

The sky over Tyre was covered in dark clouds, and the sea breeze with its salty and humid air whistled over the city walls.

Saladin's messenger was wearing a long robe and had a stern look on his face.

He met Balian again, and as usual, handed over a letter of surrender.

Compared to his colleague who had his ears and nose cut off, the messenger did not suffer any humiliation.

He even brought a letter of thanks from Balian back to Saladin's tent.

After reading the letter, Saladin looked calm as usual, but his eyes were gleaming with deep thought.

Then he waved his hand and ordered the soldiers to bring an elderly prisoner to the tent. This man was William V, Marquis of Montferrat, Conrad's father, a prisoner captured in the Battle of the Sea of ​​Galilee.

"Please help me pass on a message. If your child gives up resistance, I will release you and give you wealth. The city of Tyre will belong to me."

William V, Marquis of Montferrat remained silent, but no matter what his reaction was, it would not prevent Saladin from using this chess piece to test the situation in the city.

The sun's afterglow shines through the thick dark clouds, casting a dim light on the land.

The world was filled with a kind of silent tension. The sounds around seemed to be swallowed up by the wind, leaving only the sound of the wind sweeping across the sea, raising waves and hitting the rocks on the shore.

When William V was escorted to the city of Tyre by Saladin's soldiers and his demands were read out loudly.

Balian noticed Conrad beside him and made an unexpected move.

The Italian took a crossbow from a soldier nearby and aimed it at his father.

Conrad's response made Balian feel a little numb.

"My father, he has lived long enough, his life is just a drama that should have ended long ago."

William V, Marquis of Montferrat, was born in 1115 and is now 72 years old, a truly elderly person.

But no matter what, no one present had ever thought that Conrad would use this as an excuse to point the heavy crossbow at his father.

The Saracens under the city heard it, Conrad's father heard it, and Balian and the Iron-masked King beside him heard it too.

"You see, this is... the nature of a king. He is like this... and so am I."

Balian had never thought that such a handsome, seemingly cheerful and enthusiastic Italian would act without hesitation at such a critical moment.

William V, standing under the city wall, laughed heartily, but with an indescribable meaning in his voice.

But in short, this scene of persuasion to surrender ended in nothing.

When Saladin heard the whole story, he was silent for a moment, frowned slightly, and whispered to himself:
"This man is not religious and is very cruel."

His voice was low but full of coldness, for a man who didn't care about worldly evaluation at all and could do extraordinary things in extraordinary times.

Saladin knew that although this man was not a king, he had the qualities of a king. In such a situation, the first siege began.

On the battlefield where dark clouds hung low, the air was filled with tension and depression.

Thousands of soldiers pushed siege towers, battering rams, and some simple catapults towards the city walls.

Among these troops, a small team carried a military flag made of the Kaaba curtain, which fluttered in the wind. Their troops were silent and orderly, and had approached to within 500 steps of the city wall.

Announce to the surrounding soldiers that their Sultan is with them.

He took off all the clothes that indicated his identity and continued to move forward under the escort of a small group of Mamluks.

Saladin was the Sultan, the most powerful king in the Islamic world. He was not very proficient in martial arts, but he was not lacking in courage.

Conrad could do extraordinary things in extraordinary times, and so could Saladin.

He mingled among his own army and moved forward cautiously, just to witness with his own eyes what the words from the mouths of those defeated soldiers were really saying.

However, everything was normal. There was no sound of explosion and no smell of gunpowder.

The soldiers attacking the city set up ladders and climbed the city walls in an orderly manner, as if everything was unfolding step by step.

Accompanied by the roar of catapults, the Saracens began to climb the siege ladders.

Then they were counterattacked and killed, and the arrows in the city fell like rain on this day when dark clouds covered the earth.

Then, with a quick horn sound, the gate of Tyre City unexpectedly opened on its own!
Accompanied by whistling wind and flying dust, a team of hundreds of knights rushed out!
Their war horses trotted the ground, and their iron armor flashed a cold light under the shadow of the dark clouds.

These knights lowered their lances, and when they crashed into the Saracen infantry formation, there was a harsh sound of metal friction and the Saracens screamed.

The war horses galloped wildly, and the knights waved their swords and slashed at the crowd.

Blood splattered on their armor and stained their cloaks red, but they remained unshaken and continued to charge.

A bloody storm broke out on the battlefield.

Saladin was standing at a distance of almost zero, and seeing this group of knights charging recklessly, he felt as if he was back to the situation when he was being chased by the Leper King.

But if there is any difference, it is that this group of knights did not notice him.

Instead, they headed straight for his fluttering military flag, as if these knights believed that he was over there.

In a sense, Saladin turned a disaster into a blessing. At least, he was not hunted down in an embarrassing way this time.

Saladin and his men left in disgrace.

This siege did not allow him to figure out what the gunpowder smoke was all about.

Instead, it once again proved one thing: Saracens are not good at martial ethics.

These knights in Tyre dared to open the gates during the siege! They took the initiative to attack!

One hundred knights chased and killed the enemy force that was ten times their size!

Does this make sense?

Who are the defenders? Who are the defenders?
I know that you Franks have a lot of martial virtues, but you are not really like someone who believes in K.

Life is not easy, Saladin sighed.

After this battle, Saladin stopped the galleys that were originally intended to be sent into the battlefield in the city of Acre.

In the short term, there are no plans to launch a large-scale attack.

The main worry is that there are not enough people and I am afraid I won’t be able to deliver food to others.

As for the large number of people?

There won't be many people in Palestine in January.

……

Acre is only 40 kilometers away from Tyre. Both cities are important port cities on the coast of Palestine.

After Saladin evacuated Tyre and returned to Acre, a messenger came to Tyre with a letter.

It was this letter that proved the correctness of Gellis's prediction.

In the letter, Saladin proposed to sign a peace agreement, in which both sides would temporarily cease hostilities for half a year.

Half a year or so later, Palestine will enter the dry season, the spring harvest will be over, and all the granaries will be filled with grain.

By then, it will be another fierce fight.

Rather than calling it a peace agreement, it would be more accurate to say that it is just a six-month truce.

However, even so, the nobles in Tyre were still smiling for a while.

At least in the short term, they no longer have to bear the pressure of Saladin's army approaching the border.

At such a critical moment, something big and small happened.

Saladin released a group of nobles on the pretext of a peace agreement.

These nobles, in addition to Conrad's father William V, also included Guy, the current King of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and Humphrey III, Lord of Toruń, whose parents had both passed away.

To be honest, Saladin felt that people like Guy and Humphrey were much easier to deal with than Balian or Conrad.

Instead of letting those useless people eat free meals here every day, it is better to send them back and make trouble for them.

It would be best to cause unrest in the city of Tyre.

No matter how incompetent and useless Guy is, at least he is still the king of Jerusalem.

Among many feudal powers, royal power is the most special one.

Generally speaking, no matter what kind of feudal power it is, its essence is based on the superior feudal lord, and is obtained by the superior feudal lord through various divisions, or it can be said to be the accumulation of many rights.

Note that it is rights, not power.

But the royal power is not like that. The royal power itself is the pinnacle of many feudal powers, and it can even be said to be the legal basis of other feudal powers.

It was not a good thing for the kingdom that such a special existence returned to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which was on the verge of collapse.

But at this moment, what is Garys doing?
He had already left Tyre and embarked on his own journey of revelation.

　I wanted to add more chapters, but failed because the detailed outline I wrote before was invalid and I needed to rearrange the story.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)