Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 189 Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Jerusalem!
January in the eastern Mediterranean is the time when Poseidon, the god of the sea, is angry, in a day when Mount Olympus has long gone.

Poseidon continued to swing his trident wantonly, causing huge waves and heavy rain.

At dawn on this rainy night, the wind was howling and making the masts creak. The horses were neighing constantly. The people on the boat had no choice but to pray.

[He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.]

I will say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my fortress; you are my God, in whom I trust.”

[He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will take refuge; his faithfulness is like a shield and a fortress.]

[Though a thousand shall fall at my left, and ten thousand at my right, yet no disaster shall come near me.]

But it was of no avail. At dawn on this rainy night, the boat was washed ashore.

……

Water seeped from the damp stone walls, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and mildew.

The faint torches flickered, creating distorted light and shadows.

The ground here was covered with mud and dirt, and the stagnant water sparkled with a disgusting luster.

This is a prison, a dungeon.

It is the other side of the world, the side of the abyss and darkness.

People can kill each other for a copper coin, the lord can arrest a farmer for picking up firewood, and a loyal soldier can be thrown here to die for forgetting to say a respectful word.

Just a few days ago, Garys would have never imagined that he would end up in such a situation.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, as it was mainly his own choice.

When Alchos visited him in prison yesterday, he told Alchos clearly that if he wanted to leave, he could leave at any time, but he was attracted by several people in the dungeon.

Gellis' cell was a single room with good overall specifications. It was also the most difficult to escape from deep in the dungeon.

Wooden and iron railings separate this cell from other surrounding cells.

After leaving the cell where he was, he had to walk through a long corridor with two rows of cells on both sides, which held various prisoners from the island of Cyprus.

Some of them are indeed extremely vicious, while others were imprisoned simply for trivial matters.

It took a day for Garys to get to know the prisoners and understand what kind of people they were.

Beyond the corridor of cells was a spacious room, brightly lit by torches.

From Garys's position, he could look over and see the brazier in the room and the sturdy man chained to the wall. The guy was incredibly strong.

Apart from the brazier and the strong man, there was a jailer holding a branding iron.

The sturdy man's name should be Andre, and Garys was impressed by him.

Because this guy was tortured for the third time in two days.

Once again, a strong man like him was shirtless in winter, feeling the warmth of the iron on his chest.

There were already several marks on his ribs from the branding iron. The bright red flesh was swollen and twisted like a centipede. Even at a distance of ten steps, Garys could smell the peculiar smell of burning flesh.

"Andre! Tell me! Where is Nicholas?!"

However, the jailers responded with a spit.

In response to this, the jailer could only respond to the burly man with another round of branding iron.

The screams were heard throughout the entire dungeon, but the man never revealed Nicholas's whereabouts from beginning to end.

The helpless jailer threw Andre back into his cell, next to Garys' cell.

Garys silently examined Andre's naked upper body. The burns left by the branding iron were only a small part, and the marks left by the whip were the main part.

However, no matter what torture he was subjected to, he never uttered the words that the jailers wanted him to say.

Even in this situation, Andre could still curl the corners of his mouth and smile at Garys.

"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Frank."

"No, it's my honor." Having said that, Garys glanced at the room at the end of the corridor. After making sure that the jailers were not looking at him, he took out a piece of yeast bread from the straw pile beside him and handed it to Andre.

Andre took the bread and ate it greedily. The jailers did not bring him enough food, but Garys had enough food.

To be exact, Gellis was not a prisoner but a hostage being held for ransom.

As for the target of blackmail, it was the House of Anjou.

Because of the signet ring on the ring finger of his left hand, Guéris was considered to be a member of the House of Anjou.

The island of Cyprus, however, did not welcome the Franks.

But as a noble, although Gailis was imprisoned in a dungeon, his living conditions were actually quite good.

The food we get every day is at least edible to humans, and the drinking water is also clean.

After Andre finished eating the small piece of bread, he let out a long sigh.

"Thank you, Franks. This is the price we pay for rebelling against God. We deserve it because we deserve it."

Listening to Andre's words, Gailis simply said indifferently: "You call the order of mortals the will of God. Where does this put the Heavenly Father?"

“In those days the Jews of Israel begged Samuel the prophet, saying, “Now please appoint for us a king to rule over us like all the other nations.”

"Samuel prayed to his Father, but the answer he received was, 'Because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until now, they have forsaken me and served other gods. Now they have done to you just as they have done in the past.'"

"The prophet Samuel repeatedly stressed how domineering the king would be. However, the Jews refused to listen to Samuel and said, 'No! We must have a king to rule over us so that we can be like other nations. We must have a king to rule over us, to lead us, and to fight for us!'"

"Fighting for them? Andre, don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Those Jews thought that the king would go to war for them after he established a queen..."

The jailers at the end of the dungeon were bragging and chatting, drinking some wine from time to time. It was like two different worlds from the place at the end of the dungeon, Garys.
Over there, it is the extension of the royal will, bullying the people wantonly.

And here is another prophet, reaffirming the revelation that has already been brought to the world.

"The king will take your sons and make them his chariot drivers and horsemen.

"That they should till his fields, and reap his harvest, and make for him weapons of war, and implements for his chariots;"

"He will commandeer your daughters to prepare spices and cook food for him;"

“Take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants;”

"He will take the tenth of your fields, vineyards and flocks and give it to his eunuchs;"

"As for you, be his slaves."

“In that day you will wail because of your king whom you have chosen;”

“But on that day the Lord will not care about you either.”

Silence and dead stillness, Gailis's words are a true portrayal of the suffering of Andre and his friends' lives, but they are far from it.

Whether it is Andre or other prisoners, they live on an isolated island.

This is not an oasis island in the desert like Arnon, but a real island in the ocean.

More than 9,000 square kilometers of land is their entire life.

Cypriots have their own spiritual world.

On this small island, everything in the past, including the disputes on the mainland, seems like a myth to the islanders.

As early as the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt in the 4th century BC, there was a strong imperial worship ideology on the island of Cyprus, and they regarded the king as equal to God.

When the Romans took over the island, the Cypriots believed almost exclusively in Roman Augustus, apart from the goddess Aphrodite, and the Roman emperors were regarded as "living gods."

Even the god-king couple Zeus and Hera were pushed aside and became secondary beliefs.

The first Roman emperor, Augustus, was not only treated like a god in Cyprus, but even his daughter Julia and his wife Livia became the “Goddess Augusta and the New Aphrodite” respectively.

By worshipping Augustus as a “living god,” the island incorporated itself into the Roman order.

Of course, as time progresses, these ancient idol worships have disappeared in the long river of time.

New beliefs replaced old idols, but the islanders' unique spiritual world was passed down.

Their world is very small, and the ocean separates them from the continent.

More than 9,000 square kilometers of land, a population of more than 100,000 compatriots, the Troodos Mountains and Kyrenia Mountains standing on the island, plus the rich mineral deposits and fertile land, are all they have.

A guy named Isaac Komnenos became the "living god" of this small world.

The mainland is another world, and the troubles on the mainland are like legendary stories from another world.

Franks like Gellis who set foot on the island were complete outliers, but they were also the objects of their envy.

"That's great. I envy you. Your world is so big."

"You may be a noble, but you are a good person."

"One day, you will leave here, your family will come to pay the ransom, and everything will be fine."

Andre's words made Garys silent for a moment. In fact, he didn't need a ransom to leave the dungeon or the city.

But he wanted to take Andre away, and take away people like Andre in this dungeon.

These people have already taken up arms, they want to rebel against the "God" who rules this island.

The so-called taking them away does not mean forcing these people to blindly worship Garys.

The purpose is not to make these people change from believing in one idol to believing in another.

As Gillis himself put it:
He does not want to use violence to make the world believe in him. Gailis wants to pave a path for the world to choose, so that the world can embark on the road of self-redemption and struggle.

It is to enable the souls of people in the midst of hardship and darkness to be awakened.

He was unwilling to create a group of soulless puppets that had lost their true spirituality, nor did he seek to deify himself.

The more he understood the spiritual world of the Cypriots, the more alert Garys became, and the more he admired Andre and his comrades.

Because they dare to fight against the "God" of this world.

Gailis chuckled and said, "I have no relatives anymore. Both my parents are dead, and now the Kingdom of Jerusalem has been conquered by Saladin."

While speaking, Gailis touched the seal ring he was wearing.

To be honest, he was lying.

"But I heard that every time Jerusalem was in crisis, the Pope would send 100,000 troops there?"

"It would be great if the Crusaders could drive away the emperor as well."

One hundred thousand is the maximum number that this strong man Andre can think of, because there are only a few hundred thousand residents on the island of Cyprus.

Gelis shook his head, then said, “The homeland of the Franks of Jerusalem is Palestine.”

"France is not our home, and neither is Europe."

"And you actually expect the Crusaders to help you drive Isaac away after they arrive?"

"But have you ever thought that after those crusaders come, will they still leave?"

During this casual chat, Garys recounted in detail the Crusaders' major shortcomings and virtues.

The prisoners in the nearby cells were speechless for a moment after hearing this.

They didn't expect that Gellis, a Frank noble, would not shy away from what his ancestors had done.

"Even if the Crusades drive out tyrants, there will only be more tyrants."

In fact, if Gelis had not appeared, then in 1191, three years later.

King Richard the Lionheart of England, Isabella's nephew, would conquer the island of Cyprus.

After conquering the island, Richard the Lionheart carried out an "unsustainable exploitation" of Cyprus in order to repay his debts from the Crusades and raise funds for subsequent military operations.

Collect half of the island's assets in tax at once! It's no different from robbery.

After he finished robbing, he sold the island to the Knights Templar for 10 gold dinars.

In order to recoup their investment in a short period of time, the Knights Templar also engaged in "unsustainable overfishing" on the island of Cyprus.

The people of Cyprus could not bear it any longer and stood up in resistance. After beating up the Knights Templar, the island was sold to the current King Guy of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

It can be said that if it were not for the appearance of Gellis, the future of these Cypriot islanders would have been from one misery to another.

“Only by changing this island and returning it to the days of the ancient Roman Empire can this beautiful island of Cyprus regain its vitality.”

Although Rome is not a thing of the past for the Cypriots, in fact, their identity is that of the Eastern Empire Romans, or Greeks.

But Andre and the others could understand what Gellis meant by the ancient Roman Empire. After all, it was a glorious era that had been sung for thousands of years in the stories of the Cypriots.

The Roman period was the most prosperous period in Cyprus' history.

Since Cyprus is the largest island in the eastern Mediterranean, it is the meeting point of Asia, Europe and Africa at sea. It is also a transit point on the Silk Road and has extremely rich copper resources.

Cyprus has established a vast trading system.

Roman roads encircle the entire island of Cyprus, which produces wine, grain, copper, sugar, timber, glass and even shipbuilding.

If anyone doubts the existence of that era, then just look at the remains of the ancients thousands of years ago, and you will know that the past here was much more glorious than today, an island ravaged by Saracens and Byzantines.

The ruins here include a gymnasium, a bath house, an amphitheater, an ancient market, the Temple of Zeus, etc.

The glorious past and the bleak present form a sharp contrast, tormenting everyone who has something in his or her heart.

Another person in Andre's cell whispered, "We are just a group of prisoners. We have no future. How can we talk about change?"

In his eyes, Gailis's words were nothing but irrelevant and illogical.

What qualifications does a Frank have to talk about the glory of ancient Rome?
In response, Gelis said: "The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; your tongue is parched for thirst. I, the Lord, will answer you; my God will not forsake you."

"I am here today because of you, as long as you are willing to resist Isaac until death and fight against tyrant idols for the rest of your life."

"Then, I can take you away from here now."

"It is our duty to build the kingdom of heaven."

Andre looked at the person next to him and asked a question.

"Who are you anyway?"

"Andrea, Roman, do not be afraid, I will help you, I declare, your Redeemer is the Holy One of Jerusalem."

……

The stench and dampness in the air became increasingly suffocating. Faint light shone through the rusty iron windows, illuminating the walls covered with spider webs.

Almost a week had passed since Gillis was imprisoned, and he was ordered by the jailer to write a letter.

It was to be sent to the port of Tyre on a passing merchant ship, so as to contact the Frankish nobles there and ask them to pay the ransom.

They asked Garris to write the whole thing, and Garris wrote it. Anyway, he was not really abused during those days.

I can only say that I hope Isabella is aware of her own abilities and won't come over to worry about me.

Perhaps Aljos has already contacted the port of Tyre, which would reduce misunderstandings.

However, on such a day, the sound of the jailer's footsteps broke the silence, and many prisoners in a cell, someone they had never expected, was brought in by the jailer.

This is a typical Greek male with a strong face, straight nose, deep eyes, healthy bronze skin and a strong body.

Gellis was certain that this man was no farmer.

On the contrary, as soon as he was taken into the dungeon, Andre and the others exclaimed: "Nicholas! Why are you here?!"

The young man called Nicholas gave Andre and the others an apologetic look and shook his head.

Everything failed. This group of people were arrested one by one on the island of Cyprus without making any noise.

The Turkic mercenaries under Isaac Komnenos wiped out their small rebel forces like clearing out bugs.

After the defeat, they thought Nicholas could escape, but he was captured alive not long after.

The island of Cyprus is beyond saving.

There is no hope for this group of people. It won't be long before they are executed by hanging or beheading in public.

Their relatives, once captured, will also face brutal humiliation.

On the island of Cyprus, Isaac Komnenos ruled everything and everything with his tyranny.

In this situation, the prisoner next to Andre was the guy who had always been dejected.

After seeing the jailer leave, he could not help but sneer at Gailis: "Aren't you the Holy One of Jerusalem? Save yourself and us!"

Andre stopped the man and said again: "You are being punished just like us. We deserve it because we deserve it, but this man has done nothing wrong!"

【Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.】

Matthew 34:35
The reason why Gellis appeared in this prison was not because he had committed any crime, nor was it because he had rebelled or rebelled against any tyrant.

It was because he was a Frankish noble, because the people on this island coveted the noble's ransom, and more importantly, because Gellis was willing to come here.

During these days, Andre and the other prisoners all turned a disaster into a blessing because of Garys.

During these days, Garys would share the bread and water he was given with others.

Just as Christians all over the world live because of the flesh and blood of Christ, and have eternal life because of the flesh and bread of Christ.

They all lived because of Garys, and Garys became thinner because of them.

No matter how confusing or inappropriate Gillis's words may be these days.

Andre was truly grateful to Garys.

However, Garys shook his head at Andre's help.

"You don't deserve this, and you didn't bring this upon yourself. You have never been a sinner because of this."

“I have not come here to call sinners to repentance, but to save the righteous from suffering in this world.”

“At this hour, when you are about to be put to death, do you still not want to believe that I am the Holy One of Jerusalem, that your God has never abandoned you, and that the poor in spirit are blessed?”

Listening to Garys' words, Andre and the others uttered two words with trembling lips: "I believe it."

They don’t really believe that God loves them, but are just desperate and have nowhere else to go.

Of course, for them now, Garys can't ask for too much.

Being able to get them to say these two words is enough for now.

So Gellis stood up, grabbed an iron railing with each hand, then stood firm and began to exert force.

Under the horrified gazes of the surrounding prisoners, with a sharp sound of gnashing teeth, he pried the iron bars open to create a gap large enough for a person to pass through!
Be it Andrei or the newcomer Nicholas, when they saw Garys manually prying open the prison bars, they couldn't help but feel a shiver running down their spines.

Are you kidding me? Who are the people who have been imprisoned with them these days?

　Still two in one
　　
　
(End of this chapter)