Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 207: Tripoli is in turmoil!

The battle between life and death has lasted for countless generations and involved hundreds of millions of people.

Death is bound to come, but what does death mean?

If you are not careful, you may fall into the trap of nihilism.

Therefore, people often need something to explain and something to support themselves.

For Christians, their faith is a kind of spiritual food.

Jesus' resurrection symbolizes the victory over death, showing that death is not the end but a transition to eternal life. For Christians, this brings hope and shows the possibility of life after death.

As for the question of whether Jesus was truly resurrected.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians, gives a surprising answer:

【If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.】

[If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also in vain;]

【If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 】

【If our hope in Christ is only in this life, we are the most pitiful people in the world. 】

55 Corinthians is a letter in the New Testament, generally thought to have been written by the "Apostle" Paul to Christians in the ancient Greek city of Corinth around AD .

For those who truly study the Bible, not just blindly follow it.

A fatal choice was placed before them: either believe in "resurrection", believe in "afterlife", believe in "judgment", and then live.

Either don’t believe in “resurrection”, don’t believe in “afterlife”, don’t believe in “judgment”, face the nothingness after death, and then live on.

It takes tremendous courage and willpower to admit that nothing exists after death and to stick to this belief until death.

It can be said that Christianity has been a "designed" religion since its inception, a "placebo" used to fight "death."

But after all, it was impossible for people in the 12th century to witness the resurrection with their own eyes, so they could not defeat death simply by faith.

Even a powerful man like Raymond III, Count of Tripoli, was extremely afraid of his impending death.

At dawn and in the early morning, the sun has already spread its rays to the earth.

Garys walked through the wards, checking on the patients.

Because of what happened a few days ago, his popularity in Botlen has become completely well-known.

With the support of Pulivan, he is the most dazzling star in Botlen Town.

He was able to upgrade his equipment and build a large yard to serve as his own clinic, with five beds to accommodate patients who needed care.

Among the patients recovering from illness, Garys was most concerned about a teenager who had undergone appendicitis surgery.

Because enough attention was paid to sterilization and disinfection, and because allicin can be used as an antibacterial drug, the boy did not suffer from wound infection.

After completing the inspection, Garys went to the other side of the compound to prepare for today's presentation.

It can be said that this clinic is no longer just a place where Gellis treats illnesses, but also a "church" for marginalized people in society.

There are no Orthodox crosses or statues of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ here, only volumes of the Bible.

These Bibles were obtained by Garys from the Church in Cyprus and are extremely precious in this generation.

It was around these expensive Bibles that Gellis led the Orthodox Christians of Botlen on a path that was completely different from the past.

This is more of a gathering of people reading than a church of shepherds and sheep.

It is through Garys’ interpretation of the Bible that the believers in the gathering are truly able to enter into a sanctified life.

Now that the believers had not yet come in, Gailis flipped through a few Bibles.

Start writing your own pamphlet.

Garys did not intend to completely give up the right to interpret the Bible, so he had to write down his own doctrines, his own views on many things, and set some red lines.

Those red lines are the "eternal" pillars of the temple.

Gellis drew on the words of many later theologians in order to create new spiritual food for this generation and to use this food to feed more people.

When future generations look back on our time, they may call us heartless, callous, and ashamed of our indifference to the suffering of our brothers and sisters.

【Heaven is the destination of those abandoned by the world, and it is a blessed land for the poor.】

[The poor should get rid of their sorrow, wake up and become children of light, put on the armor of light, and never indulge in darkness and dreams and miss the coming of heaven. ]

[The poor should rejoice because they no longer have to linger under the oppression of power, but instead have a rich life in the feast of heaven.]

【This life is a divine and human life given by God, not just an animal existence.】

Gellis wrote a lot, not only these doctrines, but also a lot of science and technology that can be used in this era.

There are also many contents about medical skills. These manuscripts are extremely forward-looking for this era.

"It's time to consider woodblock printing. As for paper, there's actually no shortage of it. We can just buy it from Damascus."

The history of paper in the Middle East can be traced back to the 8th century. It is said that the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty led to the spread of papermaking technology to the Middle East.

In the 9th century, paper began to be mass-produced and popularized in cities such as Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus, gradually replacing parchment and papyrus to become the main writing material.

This also made Baghdad a major cultural and intellectual center in the late 9th century.

By the 12th century, libraries and private collections in the Islamic world had become increasingly extensive.

But one thing is that woodblock printing had not yet become popular in the Middle East at that time, so books and knowledge were still too far away for the lower classes.

Just as Gellis was writing furiously, an envoy from Tripoli was rushing towards Botlen.

The purpose of those messengers was to invite Garys, a well-trained doctor from Botlen, to Tripoli to save the Earl's life.

At the same time, Gaillis heard someone knocking on the door outside the clinic.

When Garys and Alexandros pushed open the door, they saw many people standing outside.

Most of them were Franks who came to join in the fun, but one middle-aged man stood out.

He was dressed in a black cassock with a long white rope around his waist. He held a wooden cross inlaid with silver in both hands. The ornament on his chest gleamed in the morning light, making his figure look particularly solemn and dignified.

When Gailis pushed open the door and looked at him, he saw him raise his head slightly, his eyes were cold, revealing deep vigilance and scrutiny.

The man said nothing and handed a roll of parchment in his hand to Gailis.

The paper was stamped with the church's red seal, which was like a brand, symbolizing the church's unquestionable authority.

"Doctor." The man spoke in a low voice, his voice full of unquestionable seriousness.

"You will be required to attend an inquiry later, and the Bishop will personally hear your explanation."

"The church is very tolerant of you, but we still hope that you can give a proper explanation for your behavior during this interrogation."

There was a hint of judgmental coldness in the middle-aged man's eyes.

Then, he gently raised the cross in his hand to his chest and declared in a voice without fluctuation: "Here is the way of God. May you find guidance in God's teachings, rather than being led astray."

After saying this, the messenger lowered his hands, took back the cross, took a step back slightly, and before getting any response from Garys, he turned and left.

The black vestments swayed in the dim light of the morning sun.

This is not a discussion, but just a notification.

In the eyes of the Botlen Church, although Gailis has superb medical skills and prestige among Orthodox Christians, he is still insignificant compared to the church.

So they didn't even send anyone to arrest Gellis, but just had a priest hand over a document.

Do you need to take care of the other person?

Garys was a little hesitant. Perhaps the Church of Botlen felt that they were superior and it was an honor for the other party to invite a small doctor to attend the interrogation.

But to Garys, this is quite confusing. You call me and I go?

Am I so shameless?

Thinking of this, Garys threw the document to Alexandros beside him without even reading its contents.

Just at this moment, just as Gellis was about to turn around and go back to the house, the sound of hurried horse hooves rang out on the street.

Wait until you hear a long sound of reining in the horses.

A man dressed as a messenger hurriedly dismounted from his horse.

"Is this Dr. Garys?"

The man shouted hurriedly to the people in the yard.

"The Earl here has an urgent invitation, and I would like to ask the doctor here to accompany me to Tripoli!"

As Gary walked into the house, he paused, realizing that his opportunity had come.

Instead of accepting inquiries from the Botlen Church, he might as well go and see Raymond's current situation.

Therefore, he instructed Alexandros who was standing beside him: "I may have to go to Tripoli later. You can go and tell Privan about the troubles in the church. He will help me deal with the problems here."

"Yes."

Alexandros nodded, indicating that he understood.

All in all, in short, Garys stood up the Botlen Church.

……

The news that the Count of Tripoli was seriously ill could not be blocked at all, and the news spread to the northern and southern forces. The problem was not only that this person was critically ill, but more importantly, the Count of Tripoli had no children.

It can be said that the nobles in the Holy Land are indeed quite outrageous when it comes to having children.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem had 9 generations of kings, but 6 of them died out, and the other generation was unable to produce a son.

Today, the County of Tripoli is also facing the crisis of extinction. The only possible heir is his godson, the son of Prince Bohemond III of Antioch, also named Raymond.

"Whether a godson is considered an heir is quite doubtful. As the suzerain state, the Kingdom of Jerusalem will inevitably intervene. The best outcome would be to take this opportunity to directly abolish the original county and make it an ordinary territory under the Kingdom of Jerusalem."

This is advice from Balian.

Isabella listened to Balian's words, frowning as she thought about the feasibility.

Indeed, she has signed an agreement with Saladin in the south and should not pose a threat in the short term.

But one should be prepared for the worst. If Saladin really wants to use that piece of paper to wipe his butt, how can they resist?

Now Gailis has also gone to Cyprus. Although many good news have come from Cyprus, she still doesn't know much about Gailis's current situation.

At this juncture, if they want to interfere in Tripoli, isn't it a little too far for them?

"Ballian, if we don't go, do you mean that the County of Tripoli will be annexed by Antiochus?"

"It's possible." Balian admitted frankly.

Isabella actually knew the situation in Antioch.

Let’s just say that among the Crusader states, Antioch has long played the most restless role.

Due to its geographical location, it was difficult for the Kingdom of Jerusalem to interfere with it. At the same time, it had ambitions for territory in Asia Minor and often came into conflict with the Eastern Empire.

In fact, this was also destroying the relationship between the Crusader States and the Eastern Empire, and more than once caused the Eastern Empire to issue threats and warnings to Jerusalem.

After all, Jerusalem is theoretically also the suzerain state of Antioch.

But Jerusalem really could not control Antioch, which was very, very troublesome.

In terms of the current overall strength of the Second Kingdom, Antioch has already become the strongest among the Crusader states.

If Antiochus annexed the County of Tripoli, it could be said that it would inevitably give rise to greater ambitions, which would be detrimental to their efforts to recover lost territory and return to the holy city of Jerusalem.

"If we want to interfere in the succession of the County of Tripoli, how many people do we need? Or how many troops can the Principality of Antioch spare to fight against us?"

Without Gellis, Isabella must make her own decisions, and she must demonstrate a will that matches her status.

"If Antiochus mobilizes the entire country, he can have at least 6,000 troops, but considering the current situation, he will not send too many troops to interfere in Tripoli."

Balian gave a number.

When she heard the number, Isabella couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Even if Antiochus did not send many troops to interfere in Tripoli, he would at least take two or three thousand people with him.

But what about Tyre? Could they withdraw troops to the north while confronting Saladin's army?
In fact, the many affairs in Tyre City today also mean that they lack the strength to go north in the short term.

The political logic of Europe is different from that of China. At least, whether it is Isabella or Balian, they have never thought of using overly violent means to cleanse the political situation.

As a result, the country has actually fallen into a stalemate that is unique to the parliamentary system.

But it’s not to say that there has been no progress.

At least Isabella, in accordance with an idea once proposed by Gellis, came up with a plan for both the upper and lower houses.

After all, the Second Kingdom was a continuation of the First Kingdom, so the identity of the aristocratic group in the First Kingdom was still recognized.

These nobles, whether they were Balian, Humphrey, or the knights, were all members of the former Council of Nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

After review, they can all temporarily obtain the status of members of the House of Lords, and with the addition of spokespersons and representatives of the church system, a complete House of Lords is actually formed.

Then, members of the House of Commons are recommended or elected in local constituencies.

When the two are combined into one, they become the Parliament of King's Landing, which has the right to discuss many matters of the kingdom.

This system seemed to expand the power of the nobles and bishops, but in fact it infringed upon the authority of the original High Court or the Council of Nobles.

After all, Isabella was trying to bring some people who were originally not qualified to participate in the kingdom's politics into the central decision-making level.

Of course, Isabella also has her own reasons. The kingdom is in danger now, and everyone in the country must contribute.

It seems only natural to take care of and win over those wealthy businessmen who can provide large amounts of money.

To put it bluntly, recommendation or election is actually about recognizing local powerful groups and uniting them to the central government so that those talented people will not be left out.

In addition to the reform of parliament, Isabella was also working on another plan: abolishing the kingdom's original six-minister system.

Because the Kingdom of Jerusalem was newly established and had long faced the threat of war, it had a long-standing tendency towards centralization to ensure that it could squeeze as much wealth and population as possible from the country for military use when war came.

But this does not mean that the rights held by the King of Jerusalem must be higher than those of traditional Western monarchs.

In fact, during the kingdom's heyday, there was nothing wrong with calling the Kingdom of Jerusalem an aristocratic republic.

However, the aristocratic republican parliament of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was not a permanent institution, which gave rise to the system of six officials, namely the governor, marshal, general, eunuch, steward and chief justice.

The powers and responsibilities of these official positions are often unclear, and the appointment process is often restricted by the aristocratic group.

To this end, according to Gellis, it would be best to transfer it to the cabinet.

And as a permanent institution of parliament, it became the new center of the kingdom.

Of course, the complexity and difficulty involved lead to all kinds of wrangling.

The communication with those insect nobles has made Isabella feel that her sleep quality has declined.

Garys is a really careless guy. He is a hands-off boss. Apart from setting up the framework, all the trivial details are now being filled in by her and Balian and others.

Isabella couldn't help but sigh when she thought of Gaillis.

Then he supported her and said:
"No matter what, we still have to send people to Tripoli to prevent Antioch from directly annexing Tripoli."

"Oh, there is one more piece of news,"

"what?"

"I have investigated Leonard's current situation."

When Balian mentioned that name, Isabella's little face revealed undisguised disgust.

"where is he?"

"Antiochus."

……

At this moment, Reynald was in Bagras, drinking with Jocelin, the local Grand Master of the Antioch branch of the Knights Templar.

Half a year had passed since the Battle of the Sea of ​​Galilee. At that time, Reynald gathered the remnants and retreated northward. He fled farther than Raymond and had far more troops than Raymond.

Along the way, he plundered villages, restored morale, and reorganized the army. Knowing that Jerusalem no longer had a large army to resist Saladin's iron hoof, he decided to go to Antioch.

Twenty-seven years later, he returned to his hometown and was taken in by his old friend Jocelyn. He knew that only here could he gather an army capable of revenge again.

"Reynald, I'm really fed up with Bohemond's family! They've been guarding the Amanus Pass for nearly thirty years, and I've been refused permission to give them a manor to live in during my retirement."

"Damn it, we can't stay in Antioch anymore! Those guys from the Knights Hospitaller come to mock us every now and then, saying that our Order of the Templars can't fight and can only cry poor. And all that bullshit... oh!"

Jocelyn, who broke the rules, began to grumble in a drunken state, talking about everything from the troubles in his life to the pleasures and grudges of working with Leonard. Every time he drank, he always had countless complaints.

"Do you want to go back to the past, old friend?" Reynard looked out the tower window and gazed at the small town at the foot of the mountain.

Although this place is remote, Leonard is not unconcerned with worldly affairs.

Whether it was Tripoli or Antioch, Reynald had spies and could collect some information from time to time.

As for the current situation, a plan of "the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole is behind" gradually came to his mind.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is about to arrive, and if he wants to seize this moment, Reynard must have Jocelin's support.

"The past? There's no going back, Leonard. I'm old, and you're old too. This world is no longer a stage for our generation. You're over sixty, what else do you want? Charge into battle like you did in the past? You're not going to live long enough."

"Jocelan, if I can give you a manor to live in in your old age and make your illegitimate sons lords, are you willing to fight with me again?" Leonard asked coldly.

After hearing this, Jocelyn narrowed his eyes and concentrated, staring at Leonard as sharply as an eagle.

Even if Joslan didn't know all the information that Leonard could receive, it wouldn't be much different.

After all, he was Grand Master of the Knights Templar at Antioch.

"The Knights Templar should not interfere in worldly affairs."

"This isn't the first time. Don't fool yourself, Jocelyn."

After hearing what Leonard said, Jocelyn had to admit that he was moved.

The situation in the Holy Land is uncertain now, but both Jocelyn and Reynard are full of confidence in the future.

In fact, neither of these two people was born in this foreign country.

They are veterans of the Crusades. As early as the Second Crusade, they followed in the footsteps of their ancestors and came here.

Because of this, they were well aware of what kind of powerful force would be gathered when the wave of the Crusades broke out in Europe.

Reynald has his own ambitions, and Jocelyn has what he wants.

Now, the situation in the Holy Land is being stirred up again around the city of Tripoli. It is time for ambitious people like them to surface and make a splash!
"Saladin... I am not too old to hold a sword..."

(End of this chapter)