Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 227 Antioch is Free
According to incomplete statistics, nearly one-third of the emperors in Chinese history died unnatural deaths.

In the European Catholic world, between 600 and 1200 AD, about one-fifth of the monarchs were murdered.

For a monarch, or someone like a monarch, it is a matter of course to deal with endless conspiracies and face the crisis of mass death.

But Gillis is different.

Others go through untold hardships to get rid of the guards around the target, and finally kill their way to the king, ready to get rid of someone.

As for Garys, it was not until the assassin got in front of him that the assassin realized why Garys had no guards around him.

To a certain extent, if there are too many guards around Garys, Garys will not be able to protect them all.

This was the situation Altaïr faced.

When he completed all the disguises and was glad that Garys had no guards around him, he realized that it seemed that Garys never needed guards from others.

As soon as he made his move, Altaïr was captured. His attack against Garys was as threatening as a child playing.

After many years of career as an assassin, Altaïr was certain that there was no one in the world that Gellis could not kill as long as he was willing.

The only reason he was still alive was because of Garys's kindness.

In the castle hall of Antioch, Altaïr was thrown in intact, save for the two letters on his person.

Even some daggers and hidden weapons hidden on his body were not taken away.

At one end of the hall was a high platform with a simple yet solemn throne on it. Behind the throne hung a faded banner with the emblem faintly visible on it.

Looking up and forward, I saw the young man sitting upright on the throne.

That was originally the seat of Prince Antiochus, but now it was occupied by Gellis.

Garys, a young man not much older than him, seemed to live in two different worlds from him.

“You say you are an Imam?”

"Yes."

"When will the Franks also call themselves Imams?"

Altaïr showed rebelliousness; a Frank calling himself Imam was indeed too much.

The word Imam has completely different meanings in Sunni and Shia Islam.

If the Imam in Sunni Islam is just an ordinary leader, then the Imam in Shia Islam is regarded as the representative of God on earth, possessing supreme religious and spiritual authority.

They believe that the Imam is not only a religious leader but also a inheritor of divine knowledge, with the unique ability to interpret the hidden meaning of the Quran and guide believers.

The Ismailis emphasize that the Imam is directly appointed by God, is infallible and immune from sin, and is the intermediary between God and mankind.

Even the Ismailis, to which the Assassins belong, believe that human history is divided into seven cycles, each of which is initiated by a prophet.

The first six prophets were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

They believe that the seventh Imam, Ismail, although in seclusion, will reappear in the world and become the seventh prophet, ushering in the seventh historical era.

The Ismailis are a sect of seven Imams, which differs from the mainstream Twelver Shia.

Regardless, Gellis's claim to be the Imam was considered blasphemous by Altaïr.

Gellis did not answer him. He just stood up and took two steps towards Altaïr.

Then Artair's pupils shrank sharply, because suddenly Gairis's figure grew a little bigger, and he came in front of him in an almost flashing manner.

Subconsciously, Altaïr drew his dagger and stabbed Gellis.

But unlike before, this time, Garys had no interest in stopping him.

As Altaïr stabbed Gellis with his dagger, Gellis vanished like the wind and tapped Altaïr's shoulder gently.

Altaïr froze. He was absolutely sure that he had not blinked before, but Garys had disappeared!
And appeared behind him.

"I'm not interested in arguing with you too much. I just want you to deliver a letter for me."

"As far as the current situation in the Levant is concerned, I have no intention of starting a conflict with Rashid al-Din Sinan."

"In fact, if it weren't for my appearance, your future would have been determined long ago."

"A flood that will sweep across Eurasia is brewing, and you may even witness it in your lifetime."

"The Mulayi people have been humiliated and their country destroyed, their cries will be deafening!"

"Tens of thousands of people drowned in a torrent of blood, and their cries echoed in the air."

"The Golden Law of Islam radiates supreme glory!"

"It is bound to be broken and perish in blood..."

Gellis stuffed a letter he had written into the collar of the stiff Altaïr.

This letter is addressed to Sinan, the old man in the mountains.

To be honest, Gaillis found Sinan quite interesting. What kind of assassin would carry the employer's letter with him when assassinating someone?
This is clearly an attempt to divert trouble away.

If the assassination attempt was successful, either Altaïr himself was captured, or he dropped two letters on the ground.

Then the first target of revenge for Gellis's subordinates would be Bohemond, and they would not think of sending a large army to invade Masyaf.

Revealing that Saladin was also complicit in this matter was also a good move for Masyaf Castle.

It was to inform the Kingdom of Jerusalem that they had reached an alliance agreement with Saladin. If the Kingdom of Jerusalem gathered a large army to attack Masyaf, Saladin might take advantage of the situation.

From this we can see that Sinan behind Altaïr is indeed a wise man.

Since he was a smart man, Garys felt that he would be easy to deal with.

Whether it is war or peace, Garys always needs to reach a consensus with the old man Sinan and others in the mountains.

The full name of Sinan the Old Man of the Mountain is Rashid al-Din Sinan ibn Salman ibn Muhammad Abu al-Hasan al-Basri.

As for why the Old Man of the Mountain had such a long name, Gailis could still explain it clearly. Every word in this long string of things has its meaning.

"Rashid al-Din" means religious mentor (this is a title).

"Sinan" is the name.

"Ibn Salman" means his father is Salman.

"Ibn Muhammad" refers to the father of Sinan's father, whose name was Muhammad.

"Abu Hasan al-Basri" means the family of Abu Hasan in the city of Basri.

Reading it backwards is more in line with the habits of the Chinese people, and it means Sinan, the son of Salman, grandson of Muhammad, from the house of Abu Hassan of Basil.

Altaïr was free, but he was already in a daze.

Because, for the first time in his life, he saw what it was like to transcend ordinary people.

Gellis didn't show him much, but what he saw was enough to overturn his previous perceptions.

The Frank who claimed to be the Imam also made a prophecy, which mentioned the future of Muslims and described the fate of their order.

Today, there is a nation that is rising in the north of Taohuashi. In time, it will inevitably gather into a flood and sweep all the way westward.

Anyone who tries to stop it will be drowned.

Finally, Gailis handed him a letter and asked him to go back and deliver it.

This man who called himself Imam did not reveal his ambition to control Masyaf.

"Prophet", "Hidden", "Imam", "Saint of Jerusalem"...

These words kept circling in his mind, so that Altaïr, who used to be arrogant, seemed humble and helpless.

……

After the assassination attempt on the forum, Antioch was placed under a state of martial law.

A large number of soldiers marched through the city of Antioch. Under the command of Lance, they appeared in front of the officials' residences without warning.

Then these people broke open the door, rushed in and controlled everyone in the house.

This arrest operation was mainly aimed at the Bohemond family and a group of officials originally appointed by Bohemond.

Lance, who was walking around the streets, had made a list early on and was arresting people according to the list, trying his best to make sure that no one was missed.

In fact, the information that the Frankish officials originally thought was private had actually been rumored among the people.

Through various clues, Lance showed a delicacy that was inconsistent with his identity as a knight, and obtained a lot of information.

For example, Bohemond has an illegitimate daughter who is now raised in the home of his wet nurse.

The illegitimate son of Jocelyn, the Grand Master of the Antiochian branch of the Knights Templar, was having an affair with the illegitimate daughter of Bohemond.

Because of this, Bohemond's attitude towards Jocelyn was extremely bad.

After arresting all those who should be arrested, before they could complain, Lance had Bohemond's letter to Sinan read out in public.

With Altaïr present and Bohemond's seal authentic, there is now both evidence and witnesses.

There is no longer even a need for torture to extract confessions.

Garys did not show up, and the soldiers took these people into custody directly.

When these people were being taken away, some tried to resist but were knocked to the ground, some collapsed and refused to get up, but were also dragged away... Some even shouted loudly: "I want to see Garys!"

But none of this will change Lance's decision.

So these people began to curse Bohemond.

Why hire an assassin to commit murder and then write a letter to leave a criminal record for the other party!
Of course, this was also deliberately done by Xinan, the old man in the mountains. For Xinan, killing people for others is commonplace.

By asking others to write letters and leave evidence, this is in itself a handle to hold someone hostage, making it convenient to blackmail them in the future.

There are too many secrets in the castle of Masyaf. Those secrets mean all kinds of human relationships and constraints for this small castle of Masyaf.

Like a spider, Sinan, the old man of the mountains, has woven a web across the land of the Levant.

He sits in the middle of the spider's web, taking advantage of others' greed and fear to reap countless benefits.

For those who trade with Sinan, every commission they make is a transaction with the devil. They don’t know when they may become the bargaining chip.

But even so, if it is convenient to eliminate the enemy, they will still tirelessly pursue Assassin.

Bohemond was one of them, but what he didn't expect was that with his noble status, in Sinan's eyes, he was also an object to be cut off in order to survive!
"You, you guys... No, you can't do this! You can't, you can't do this!"

"I...I am the Prince of Antioch! I am, I am the Prince of Antioch..."

Bohemond continued to shout as he was dragged away.

In response, Lance walked up, kicked him a few times without saying a word, and then spat in Bohemond's face.

That's it? Prince of Antioch?

What awaits this guy is only a cold prison cell.

Outside the city of Antioch, when the second opportunity comes, there will also be a bloody storm.

In the land of Antioch, Gelis had already authorized it.

Unlike Tripoli, which was peacefully liberated and incorporated into the Second Kingdom, Antioch has its own national conditions.

If he doesn't kill a bunch of them, how can Lance place people in the cult?

……

Bohemond was thrown into a cell and his treatment was completely different from that of the other noble officials.

He was sent to the deepest part of the prison and imprisoned with those who committed the most heinous crimes.

When the jailer opened the cell door and pushed him into the cell, he saw the person he hated the most - his stepfather Leonard.

The moment he first saw Reynald, Bohemond felt a hint of instinctive fear.

The old man in front of him had left him with too many shadows when he was young.

And when Reynald turned over in the straw and saw Bohemond being sent to prison, he couldn't help laughing, as if his messy hair and tattered prison clothes could not hide his almost insane temperament.

"Are you here too?"

Reynald felt a little amused. He, the former Prince of Antioch, had fought with Bohemond, the current Prince of Antioch, for a long time, but in the end, both of them were imprisoned in Antioch. What was this? Was this karma that never failed?

"Let me guess, the reason why Gellis' army appeared in Antioch is because you asked them for help?" asked Reynald.

Bohemond did not answer, but Reynald knew his stepson very well, and he knew from his expression that he was right.

"There is a price to pay for asking for help. No matter what you promised, whether it's money or land, Garys and his men don't care."

"The only bargaining chip you had at the time was the title of Prince of Antioch. So they demanded the right to rule Antioch, and specifically requested that the city be directly governed by them." Reynald analyzed indifferently.

Bohemond's eyes flickered slightly. Reynald could always guess his every thought.

Whenever he made mistakes as a child, Leonard would be able to guess the cause almost exactly, just like he does now.

This feeling of being seen through by his elders made the young and rebellious him feel deeply embarrassed.

"At that time, you never thought that Antioch was not in my hands. You took it for granted that since you had lost all the land, you would be satisfied as long as you could gain back one or two cities, right?"

"As a result, Garys and his men figured out that I was trying to trick you, so they took advantage of the situation and went directly to the other side of the river valley to take over Antioch."

Reynald looked at Bohemond with a hint of pity. This guy was involved in a contest with people who were completely different from him. The little tricks he showed off would only push himself into the abyss.

"Then, did you think of the tradition of your Antioch family and plan to break your promise?"

"Yes." Bohemond finally spoke, saying only one word.

"To break a promise, you need strength. When I was leading horses for the Eastern Roman Emperor, did you think I would dare to break my promise under his nose?"

As he spoke, Reynald looked Bohemond up and down. He was also curious about how this guy had the courage to try to break his promise when the other party was in control of the situation. Then Reynald suddenly realized the truth.

"You...did you find Assassin?"

Seeing Bohemond's secret being exposed, Reynald suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter became more intense, followed by an unconcealable sadness, and tears flowed unconsciously.

"Antiochus' ninety-year foundation was destroyed in your hands!"

Reynald roared. He had feelings for Bohemond and had devoted his heart and soul to Antiochus, but at this moment, he was completely consumed by anger.

No matter how Bohemond loses, he is still the child he raised.

"What kind of organization is the Assassins? I have told you countless times! They are called 'Unbelievers' among the pagans. Their existence itself is a distortion of the world. How dare you trust them? How dare you..."

As he spoke, Leonard suddenly realized more of the truth. Perhaps the young man in front of him was even more stupid than he appeared.

"Back then, you had contact with the Assassins, right?"

Reynald walked forward and forced Bohemond into a corner. He wanted to dig out the truth that had been buried for more than 30 years, and he got the answer from Bohemond's eyes.

Reynald's face was grim and he slapped Bohemond hard in the face.

"Are you that impatient to wait? Or do you think I will leave Antioch to your brother?"

"Isn't it? Isn't it!" Bohemond finally burst out, speaking in complete and fluent words. "He is smart and sensible, you care about him in every way and leave all the benefits to him. Compared with him, I am nothing!"

After Bohemond vented his emotions, Reynald seemed a little lost.

He had promised Bohemond's mother that he would leave Antioch to Bohemond, and even said these words to his face many times.

But obviously, Bohemond never believed it and was only immersed in his own insignificant little cleverness.

"So... you are not qualified to compete with me, nor are you qualified to fight with Garys. The more you rely on these little tricks, the more likely you are to bring about your own destruction."

……

【Then he would have to spend all the revenue of that country in defending it, and so much would have been wasted. As a result, the gain would have turned into a loss.】

Due to Bohemond's unwise behavior, in the eyes of Reims, the princes of Antioch had completely become a destabilizing factor.

Reims had only two choices: either to appease these restless princes, giving them money and privileges to quell their dissatisfaction, or to completely eliminate them and cut off the hidden dangers!

It was impossible for Gellis to stay in Antioch for a long time, and a brief appeasement would only sow more troubles in the future.

Lance knew very well that he was different from Garys. Since he could not make these people change their minds completely, he could only ask them to go see God.

After all, in this land, rulers come and go, and for the people, the life and death of these rulers who are not of the same ethnic group cannot arouse their resonance at all.

Of the two opportunities mentioned by Lance, the first was Arsalan gathering Tukopo, and the second was Gelis leaving Antioch.

When Gellis was in Antioch, there were many things that were actually inappropriate for him to do. After all, if he handled them in that way, it would lead to all kinds of gossip.

The Tukopo assembled by Arsalan could bring military advantages to Reims, so that he could complete the extermination and cleansing of the Antioch nobles even without the help of Gairis.

A character like Arslan is, in a sense, more like a military contractor.

Military contractors have a special place in history. Simply put, they are a kind of military entrepreneur who makes high profits by providing military services to monarchs or city-states.

Most of the time, as long as they were paid enough, monarchs could obtain a professional army that was more elite than feudal levies.

The feudal conscription system was inefficient and had long been unable to adapt to the increasingly fierce battlefield environment in Europe.

Under the feudal system, knights only had to serve their lord for 40 days a year and had the right to refuse to fight abroad.

To this end, monarchs often tried to break the monopoly of feudal armies, usually using mercenaries.

In the 12th century, this trend was not obvious, but with the development of productivity and the rise of commodity economy, European monarchs gradually gained control of huge financial resources.

They gave nobles more tax options to avoid military service, and collected taxes from cities to arm the state.

In some ways, this was a compromise with the feudal system, as monarchs continued to rule a largely feudal country for the next few centuries.

Although they accumulated more wealth, they still lacked direct control over the grassroots and found it difficult to establish a large-scale standing army based on conscription.

Maintaining a large standing army is also very difficult for the monarch. Therefore, during the war, mercenary groups provided by military contractors came into being. In later generations, people like Wallenstein even had the ability to control the fate of the Holy Roman Empire.

In return, after victory in the war, military contractors not only received high monetary rewards, but many of them were also able to share the newly conquered land and obtain the title of nobility.

Although Arsalan's pursuit of fiefdom was not common during this period, it had a realistic basis, especially in the Levant, a paradise for adventurers, where there were already similar precedents. Of course, these precedents did not include Tukobo.

In Lance's opinion, if he wanted to wipe out the old Norman noble forces in the mountains of Antioch, he would really need some external help.

For example, the Tukopo mercenaries who serve year-round.

　I had a cold these past two days, so I was not very energetic and my thoughts were sporadic, but I managed to scrape together 6,000 yuan.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)