Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 208 It is appointed for all men to die

Tripoli is both a large city and a seaport, with a registered population of at least 25,000.

In and around this city, there are at least four thousand looms weaving cotton, silk, and velvet.

The developed sugarcane cultivation allows the area to produce honey.

The production of a large number of luxury goods has endowed this place with enormous wealth and also supported the military strength of Tripoli, allowing Raymond to gain almost ultimate power in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The powerful army, towering power and endless wealth continued to nourish Raymond's ambition and pushed him to seek further development.

Of course, all his dreams were shattered overnight.

Golden candlesticks flickered with a faint light, illuminating the beautifully decorated furniture and the luxurious rugs on the floor.

Thick satin curtains hung on the wall, blocking out the direct sunlight.

On the wall hangs the family crest of Toulouse-Tripoli, a shield with a gold cross on a red background.

Today, Raymond III, the last descendant of this family, is lying on a gorgeous bed.

He looked haggard and dazed. In this luxurious bedroom, he was the most shabby one.

As the door of the bedroom was pushed open by the waiter, a young man, led by the messenger, approached him.

When Raymond saw the young man's face clearly, his expression changed for a moment.

"How can you be a Frank?"

After hearing this, Gailis's expression did not change. He actually understood Raymond's thoughts.

In those days, even the Frankish nobles actually looked down on Frankish doctors.

In the "History Abroad", Bishop William of Tyre expressed his dissatisfaction with the aristocratic group's preference for Jewish and Muslim doctors.

But no matter how dissatisfied he was, he could not change Dr. Frank's reputation, which was indeed a bit "notorious".

Of course, since Garys was here, he had no choice but to ask Garys to help with the diagnosis.

Garys' questions were actually quite old-fashioned. He just asked about Raymond's symptoms and then frowned.

After obtaining Raymond's consent, Gellis conducted a more detailed physical examination.

First, Garys took a deep breath, focused on his hearing, leaned his head on Raymond's chest, and listened to Raymond's voice attentively.

It was a little rustling sound similar to papers rubbing against each other, or shoes rubbing against dry ground.

Based on these symptoms, Gellis basically concluded that Raymond must have pleurisy.

But if it was just pleurisy, Raymond shouldn't have been so haggard.

Then, there is another possibility that Raymond's pleurisy was actually caused by other more serious diseases.

For example, a lung infection or a tumor.

But whatever the more serious illness was, there was no cure for Gillis at the moment.

Even if it is pleurisy, it needs to be treated with antibiotics or some antiviral drugs.

In short, Count Raymond III of Tripoli is now terminally ill and incurable.

After completing this series of inspections, Gellis stood aside. He did not say much, but just stared at Raymond in silence.

He had seen Raymond when he was serving in the royal palace in Jerusalem, but the current Count of Tripoli could not recognize the little servant he once was.

At that time, Raymond was thin, short, dark-skinned, with medium-colored straight hair and sharp eyes.

Raymond was reserved in his behavior at that time. He was orderly in his thinking and cautious, but his actions were powerful.

However, in Garys's eyes, Raymond is now no different from rotten wood.

Death is fair. No matter how rich or powerful you are, when death comes, it treats everyone equally.

【It is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment.】

—Hebrews 9:27
"Can I still be saved?"

Raymond asked, and the desire for life in his words was no different from that of the boy with appendicitis.

It was just that the boy, who had appendicitis at the time, was sinking in the River of the Dead, but the water wasn't that deep, so Gailis could still reach out and pull him out.

By the time Raymond arrived, this noble, this lord, had already become Gary himself, and he could not be pulled ashore no matter what.

But Gellis still chose to lie, he uttered a word softly.

"Help."

The look in Raymond's eyes emitted an extremely dazzling light at this moment. Just these two words brought him indescribable vitality.

"What to do?"

"You can try applying heat. Use a hot water bottle or warm towel to your chest. This will improve circulation and can help you feel comfortable and relaxed."

"It's also a good idea to drink warm herbal teas, such as peppermint or ginger, which can have a soothing effect. Also, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, as this can help to bring up phlegm and reduce coughing."

Garys talked about a lot of different treatment methods, and Raymond listened very carefully.

Do these techniques help?

Of course there are, but they are only a temporary solution and do not address the root cause. They just make Raymond feel better in the short term.

In fact, since Gellis rearranged the bedroom and adjusted the air circulation.

With a few cups of herbal tea, she helped Raymond adjust his lying position and applied a hot towel to his chest.

Raymond's face flushed almost immediately.

"What do you want to get?"

"Practice medicine, practice medicine in Tripoli, and preferably have a house where I can treat patients."

“How noble.”

"That's all I ask for, to save lives, to save more people."

After listening to Gary's answer, Raymond gave an instruction to the servant beside him, indicating that he should take Gary to the city to choose a house for Gary to use.

As Gellis was led out of the castle, a group of knights carrying the banner of the King of Jerusalem stood outside the castle.

When some of them saw Garys's face, a few of the sharp-eyed ones showed surprise.

But Jos was very tactful and pulled his colleagues beside him, signaling them to be quiet.

Thus, Gillis passed them by.

……

Tripoli and Botrun are actually very similar in their religious structures.

Catholics are relatively few in number, but they are the center of the land.

Orthodox Christians may be more numerous, but they do not constitute the mainstream of society.

As for the Muslims, they live in villages outside the city, leading a life that seems "peaceful to the world".

Of course this is impossible. After all, Muslims have to pay high taxes to maintain the autonomy of their community.

Botrun is not far from Tripoli, only a few dozen miles away. Relying on the reputation he had gained from the gatherings among Orthodox believers in Botrun, Gailis naturally integrated into the "lower-level gatherings" in this city.

Structurally, the Church has four levels: the Synod, bishops, priests and laity.

The bishops' conference is like the Holy Synod of Cyprus, then the specific bishops, and then the priests in charge of the church and ordinary believers.

Due to the special circumstances of the County of Tripoli, there are no bishops or bishops' councils here. Even priests need to go underground and cannot show their activities too obviously in society.

Due to the shortage of Orthodox priests, the Orthodox Christians here can only organize themselves.

When Gellis joined them, he breathed new life into these small, scattered, and gradually dying "bottom-level gatherings".

"Nothing in the world is fatalistic, nothing is unforgivable, and absolutely hopeless. Everything can be renewed. The destiny of the world lies in realizing the utopia of the Kingdom of God."

“The only thing we can ask God for is not that dangerous storms and waves will recede, but that we will be freed from the fear of storms and waves.”

In this mansion given by the Count of Tripoli, Gellis once again resumed his old business.

It is not only about healing, but also about preaching.

His activities in Tripoli were almost a carbon copy of Botlen's, if anything, he was more blatant.

Raymond won't live long, and time is running out.

More than once, he took the initiative to perform miracles for the Orthodox Christians in this city.

"The Kingdom of Heaven will become all in all, the love of the Lord will become the light that dispels the shadow of death, the ultimate day has come, and eternal life quietly begins in this world."

"The shackles of fate no longer bind me, the cup of death has turned into the sweet spring of life,"

"Death is no longer an obstacle, the storms of history cannot extinguish the eternal flame of life. Like a dead tree in spring, the dead bones will regenerate.

"As the Lord Jesus said in his prayer: My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

In Gelis’ theology, “the cup” symbolizes not only the personal suffering and sacrifice of Jesus, but also the collective suffering endured by the poor and oppressed.

Jesus, as the recipient of suffering, represents his identification and empathy with all the oppressed.

His prayers revealed his deep understanding of human suffering and his choice to take it upon himself, standing in solidarity with those on the margins of society.

Jesus' final acceptance of the "cup" symbolizes his absolute obedience to God's righteous mission, not even flinching in the face of personal suffering.

Jesus' obedience was not only obedience to God, but also obedience to his mission.

This kind of obedience is not passive endurance, but active pursuit of social change and liberation. Jesus chose not to avoid suffering, which symbolized his mission to fight oppression and promote social justice.

It can be said that the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane conveys hope that even in despair and suffering, God's plan can still bring the possibility of salvation and liberation.

Jesus ultimately accepted the “cup” and brought salvation through the cross, meaning that the poor and oppressed could see hope for liberation from their suffering.

It means that God's will is to overthrow oppression and bring peace and justice.

"His death brought an end to suffering and death."

"Through his dedication, our sins were washed away, the barrier between man and God was broken, and people were able to break free from the bondage of sin and embrace a new life."

"But you don't know this, so I have to return to the world and explain everything to you again." The marginalized people in Tripoli are now right in front of Garys.

These Greeks, whose ancestors were once Roman citizens, can now only maintain their self-identity based on the inertia brought by religion.

They are the semi-invisible people in Tripoli society, the poor of the city, who seem to have been abandoned by the Lord.

But fortunately, Garys came and brought with him his authority over life.

When Garys finished this simple sermon.

Someone pushed open the door and rushed in.

"Doc! Save Peter! Save him!"

……

In a dimly lit room, Gellis moved a candlelight closer to the patient's face, examining his skin in detail.

The patient, the young craftsman Peter, had just been rushed in by his family with a high fever on his forehead, weakness in his limbs, an inflamed throat, and bouts of painful coughing.

Gellis frowned and touched the red spot on Peter's forehead lightly with his finger.

These spots have just begun to expand, the skin becomes hard and swollen, and gradually small hills appear, revealing light yellow fluid, close to the shape of blisters.

Garys took a deep breath and fell into a rather dazed state.

He was a little scared and a little panicked.

This was the first time he had been frightened in two years.

The diagnostic knowledge about this disease did not come from learning in previous lives. In fact, this disease was not even recorded in the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual".

The symptoms are similar to chickenpox.

But the rashes of similar diseases such as chickenpox often develop out of sync and are concentrated on the chest and back rather than the face and limbs.

I thought about the information I learned from my conversation with Dr. Abdullah.

Gellis lowered his head again and checked the rash on Peter's palms and soles. Sure enough, there were also dense red spots there, and this distribution was obviously different from chickenpox.

Garys trembled all over, couldn't help swallowing, and turned his head to look at Peter's family.

No one in Peter's family had developed a similar rash, but his mother's complexion was obviously not good.

"Ma'am, have you felt unwell today?"

Gellis received an affirmative answer.

At this moment, Gailis felt his hands and feet were cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

The colors of the world were taken away in that moment, and he seemed to be living in a silent film world.

The jar that sealed the Horseman of Apocalypse would eventually open a crack from time to time, and arrows would shoot out from it and fall to the human world.

[When the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, 'Come!' I looked and saw a white horse, and he sat on it with a bow and a crown. He conquers and will conquer again.]

—Revelation 6:1-2
A ray of light shone into the consulting room, making Peter's pale face look even weaker. In Garys's eyes, this young man, as well as their family, had been shot by the arrow of the knight on the white horse.

"I have to tell you, this is smallpox."

When Gillis uttered the Greek word for smallpox (ευλογι), it wasn't just the color that was taken out of his eyes.

Everyone around was in a panic, especially those who had close contact with Peter.

Many of them looked at Peter's mother, and they realized why Garys went back to ask Peter's mother if she was feeling unwell.

"Russell, remember to guard the door and don't let anyone leave this room."

"Everyone else, don't panic, I'm here, everything will be resolved."

No matter how nervous Gellis was inside, he still showed extraordinary calmness, and it was this calmness that brought confidence to the people in the room.

When Gellis left the ward, he looked into the eyes of the sun in the sky. The sun, emitting white light, was looking at the earth coldly.

The creature riding on the white horse was high in the sky, stamping its four hooves. He looked down on the earth and looked down on everything.

For Garys, his battle has begun, and this time it is not a battle against flesh and blood, but a battle against the rulers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

"Smallpox! I will make sure you never come back."

The streets outside the house were still bustling with traffic, but Tripoli, a big city in the eastern Mediterranean, was unaware that the threat of smallpox was looming over the entire city. If one was not careful, it could lead to an uncontrollable plague.

The earliest records of smallpox date back to 1000 BC in ancient civilizations of Egypt and India, and archaeologists have found smallpox-like lesions on Egyptian mummies.

During this era, at least hundreds of thousands of people died of smallpox in Europe every year.

This demon named smallpox is the sharpest sickle in the hand of death, waving it wantonly on the earth and reaping human lives.

The Barefoot Doctor's Manual does not provide detailed records of the symptoms and treatment methods of smallpox.

However, smallpox is still included in the list of Class A infectious diseases, along with cholera and plague.

According to the regulations on Class A infectious diseases in the manual, the reporting period should be as soon as possible from the date of discovery, but should not exceed 1 day.

But in this day and age, who could he report to?
To Raymond, Count of Tripoli?

Are you kidding? Does Raymond have any means of preventing or treating smallpox?

Smallpox is a skin and respiratory infectious disease with a short and long incubation period of approximately 5 to 16 days.

Follow the instructions for dealing with infectious diseases in the Barefoot Doctors Manual.

The first thing that needs to be done is to isolate the patients, pay attention to ventilation, and disinfect the patients' living environment. Large-scale vaccinations are also needed.

To complete this series of operations, the epidemic prevention personnel need to have a high degree of obedience, a careful and bold character, and the confidence to never be afraid of smallpox patients.

This could not be accomplished by the soldiers under the Count of Tripo.

Therefore, the first thing Gellis did was to write a letter.

He now needs assistance from Cyprus and Tyre.

In any case, Cyprus and Tyre must send a large number of soldiers vaccinated against smallpox to Tripoli.

Of course, the purpose of sending the letter is not just to ask Tyre and Cyprus to send people for support, it is also a warning.

The other two places must be prepared to face the possible impact of the epidemic.

However, although he felt that he could not rely on Raymond, given the current situation, Gailis felt that he still had to talk to Raymond. It would actually be better if he could get Raymond's support.

The overall outline of the city of Tripoli is similar to that of Tyre, surrounded by the ocean on three sides, with only a narrow land passage leading inland.

But unlike Tyre, Tripoli has more residents and a more prosperous secondary industry, and the peninsula alone can no longer meet the city's needs.

As a result, many handicraftsmen's workshops were located outside the city and continued to expand to the surrounding rural areas.

The destination of Guellis's trip, the Castle of Raymond Saint-Gilles, is located on the Pilgrim's Hill, about 2.8 kilometers outside Tripoli.

The name comes from Raymond the One-Eyed, the first Count of Tripoli and the great-great-grandfather of the current Raymond III.

He was one of the most outstanding generals in the First Crusade and, from 1094 onwards, he served as Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Marquis of Provence.

When the Crusaders passed through Constantinople, many leaders were tempted by Alexios' power and swore allegiance to become his vassals. Only Raymond the One-Eyed firmly refused and instead promised not to invade Alexios' territory.

Now, Gellis came to the castle again and couldn't help but recall what Balian had said.

"Gailis, do you know why Raymond the One-Eyed never swore allegiance to Alexios but still received strong support from the Eastern Roman Empire?"

At that time, Balian stood on the city wall, looking to the north, and asked Gailis.

"Is it because the other three Crusader states have betrayed their oaths?"

"Yes, they broke their promise. They claimed that the purpose of the Crusades was only to drive out the pagans and vowed to return the land of the former Roman Empire to Rome, but in the end they were devoured by greed."

"The nobles who once swore an oath broke their vassal oaths, and even Prince Antiochus did not hesitate to invade the Eastern Roman Empire."

"Finally, in order to contain Antiochus, Raymond, who initially rejected Alexios, instead established the County of Tripoli with the support of the Eastern Roman Empire."

"Ballian, you want to tell me that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and false oaths are far less important than actual interests, right?" Although Gailis understood this truth, since Balian was willing to share, he did not want to interrupt his thoughts.

"Almost. Garys, don't be fooled by any promises. These oaths are meaningless to nobles. Even if they swear in the name of the Father, in the name of parents, or in the name of anything, don't believe them easily."

When Gellis was led into the castle again by the waiter, he met Raymond and told him about the smallpox.

"Doctor, are you sure it's smallpox?"

"yes, I'm sure."

The bedroom fell into silence, and Raymond found it hard to accept for a moment.

This was like a punishment from the Lord to him. Just when there was hope of recovery from his illness, an even more severe danger came the next moment.

He found it hard to believe and was unwilling to face this reality.

"Doctor, please move into the castle. I will order the collection of food. Once the food is collected, we can stay in the castle for a full six months. After six months, the plague will be over."

"What about the people in the city?"

Raymond was speechless.

"All I want is to save lives, save more people."

“How noble.”

Raymond sighed, and then said: "You can go to the city with my orders and let the people there cooperate with you."

"And you? What are you going to do?"

There was another long silence.

And this silence was Raymond's response.

At least, he had not sworn a false oath.

When Gérice left the Castle of Raymond Saint-Gilles, he looked back and saw the iron gate of the castle closed hastily.

Raymond III, Count of Tripoli, abandoned his subjects.

(End of this chapter)