Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 253 A New Mission
The death of Barbarossa can be said to have cast a dark cloud over the originally clear situation in the Holy Land again.

For Saladin, the various pressures he had faced in the past few months, the military disadvantages, the lack of cooperation from the nomadic tribes...

In an instant, the situation was reversed in a way that had never been imagined.

Even the nomadic tribes, whose morale had been broken, quickly recovered their morale.

A large number of rumors spread throughout the Islamic world, saying that the Roman emperor died at the hands of Sultan Saladin, and that this was the consequence of pagans not believing in the true God and invading the holy land.

Although the loss of those artillery pieces made Saladin very sad, the death of Barbarossa not only made up for the gap between the enemy and us, but also once again proved that Saladin was protected by God.

As for little Frederick, or Eden.

During these days, I felt that my world was turned upside down. When I followed my father, I had no fear of this world. I always felt that apart from God, there was nothing else I should fear.

But after his father died unexpectedly, his view of the world was suddenly broken.

It turns out that mortals are mortals, and they will die because of the slightest accident.

And beyond the mundane world, there really does exist a more bizarre world.

After experiencing such a strange experience, Frederick the Younger naturally went to find Balian and got a clearer and more definite answer.

At this point, regardless of whether little Frederick was willing or not, he changed his name to Eden.

Then, with Balian's introduction, Eden went to meet Garys in person.

Unlike before, Eden traveled through the city of Tyre accompanied by Balian with an almost pilgrimage mentality.

They passed through the slightly chaotic dock area, walked through the slums, and stopped in front of an ordinary door.

Eden found it hard to believe that Garys lived here, but when he was about to knock on the door, he heard a click and the door opened automatically.

What made Eden even more unbelievable was that there was no one to greet him at the door.

So, who just opened the door?

Eden glanced at Balian, but Balian just shook his head. He didn't know how this was done.

After taking a deep breath, he realized that he was actually on a pilgrimage.

However, this pilgrimage does not require going to Jerusalem, but to a small corner of the city.

This was not the house of a wizard or a shaman; there were no crystal balls, statues, claws, furs, or any other decorations.

It can be said that Gillis's residence is very neat and tidy, and of course there are no servants.

In the living room, Gailis had been waiting for a long time.

When he saw Garys again, Eden looked very excited and couldn't wait to ask many questions.

But Garris just shushed him.

"Don't be impatient. I know what you want to ask. Sit down first and let's talk about it bit by bit."

Eden sat opposite Garys on a very plain chair. Between the two of them was a low table. On this table, which should be called a coffee table, were some cups and some drinks.

Balian also sat beside them.

After they finished taking a sip of their drinks, Gailis signaled to the other party that he could ask questions.

And Eden's first words were: "Is everything you said yesterday true?"

"You said that my land is not north of the Alps, but between the Euphrates and the Tigris."

"Yes and no, it depends on how you understand it."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"I give you a new name, Eden. There were four rivers in the Garden of Eden, but only the Tigris and Euphrates are known to mankind today."

"Yes."

“I want to tell you that the disappearance of the Pishon and Gihon rivers is itself a sign that everything is off track.”

"You will establish a new kingdom between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and rebuild the Garden of Eden. When your kingdom returns to its original state, the Pishon and Gihon rivers will return."

A mission and destiny was imposed on Eden by Garys.

But Eden not only did not refuse, but became slightly excited.

The Garden of Eden is a concept with profound theological, symbolic and cultural significance in the Bible. It not only represents the origin of mankind, but also contains core themes about the relationship between man and God, free will, sin, redemption and hope.

The Book of Genesis records that God created Adam from dust, created Eve from Adam's rib, and placed them in the Garden of Eden. It can be said that the Garden of Eden is the pinnacle of God's creation, symbolizing the original perfection and harmony of the world.

Of course, the Garden of Eden was also the site of the fall of humanity, when the serpent (Satan incarnate) tempted Eve and Adam to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, causing them to disobey the command of the Heavenly Father.

From then on, the Garden of Eden became a symbol of "Paradise Lost", representing mankind's fall from a state of perfection to a state of depravity.

Garys said that he would go to Mesopotamia to re-establish a kingdom and rebuild the Garden of Eden. Combined with the "miracle" that Garys could move freely, this was undoubtedly a declaration that the prophecies in the Book of Revelation would come true and that man would be reconciled with the Heavenly Father again.

When this matter was implemented in the Crusades, it actually had a real-life counterpart, which was the "County of Edessa", a country that had already perished.

During the First Crusade (1096–1099), European Crusaders conquered a vast area including Antioch and Jerusalem, with Edessa being one of the first places to be captured.

The County of Edessa was founded by Baldwin I, who later became the first king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Strategically, Edessa's geographical location was very important, as it controlled the key route from Asia Minor to Syria and Mesopotamia.

This location made it a hub for the exchange of Eastern and Western civilizations, and also an outpost for defending against Seljuk Turks and Muslim forces.

The County of Edessa was subsequently conquered by the Muslim Sultan Imad ad-Din Zengi in 1144.

This event led directly to the Second Crusade (1147–1149).

Then the direct way to implement Gillis's prediction is actually very clear.

Restore the County of Edessa, and this time not only to restore it, but also to directly penetrate Mesopotamia, and it would be best if we could go south and attack Baghdad as well.

For Eden, this was a dual drive from both religious and secular perspectives, which almost instantly washed away the confusion caused by Barbarossa's death.

It also gave the remaining German Crusaders in Tyre a clearer picture of the future.

Anyway, most of these Crusaders are the second sons in their families. They have no inheritance if they go back, so staying in the Holy Land and founding a new country is a good choice.

In the Mediterranean cultural circle of the 12th century, if Constantinople was the undisputed eternal city, then cities like Damascus and Alexandria ranked second.

Compared with these overseas cities, London and Paris of this era are first-class, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are stinky countryside.

After chatting for a long time, Eden left Garys' residence refreshed.

From Eden's perspective, this was essentially a covenant.

If in the Bible, Jehovah made a covenant with Abraham, which resulted in a "promised land" from the River of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

Then my previous encounter with Garys in the church could actually be interpreted in a similar way.

I must stay in the holy land. This is not just a consideration of worldly interests.

Rather, it means that you have a place in God's plan.

This is not only about the recovery of Jerusalem, but also involves the search for the original paradise.

……

With this arrangement for Frederick the Younger, Gellis felt that he could at least keep some of the German Crusaders in the Holy Land.

Judging from their performance in the previous battle, the soldiers under Saladin were indeed not good at fighting.

Despite having a relative advantage in troop strength, and even having more artillery, and with Saladin himself attacking the camp and outflanking it, they still suffered a crushing defeat.

All I can say is that if Barbarossa had not died, relying on his elite German Crusaders, he would have been able to break through Palestine, humiliate Saladin at will, and take back Jerusalem.

This situation is actually not what Gellis wants to see.

Jerusalem is just a city, but if the German Crusaders stand out too much under Barbarossa's performance in the process, then Gellis will have to face the trouble of how to deal with the Germans.

But if the German Crusaders simply returned home and no longer participated in subsequent wars, it would also be a loss for Gailis.

As far as the main ethnic group is concerned, Gairis has raised the political status of the Arabs.

If we want to maintain domestic politics and avoid the dilemma of a small tribe dominating a big country, then we must inevitably increase the group of Franks, or the group of Christian believers in Gerris.

Compared to Muslims who use Arabic, Germans at least use the Latin alphabet, making them relatively easier to assimilate.

Introducing more immigrants from Europe is not a bad thing for the Second Kingdom.

This was especially true when Isabella and Balian insisted on using simplified Latin as the unified language in the country.

"Of course, in addition to the goal of restoring the County of Edessa and leaving behind some of the systematic German Crusaders, we also need to absorb some of them and grant them true noble status in exchange for their long-term service."

Or some more detailed discussions with Balian in Gellis' own cabin.

At present, the army directly under the central government of the Second Kingdom already has 4 battalions of standing troops. Including the troops that can be mobilized, the actual scale is to people, and they can all be assembled.

But this number is actually almost entirely infantry, which is very problematic in this era.

Unlike the era of hot weapons in the future, in the 12th century, the human factor can be said to be crucial.

Although cold weapons still occupy a considerable weight, if the people who use the weapons lack the courage to face death, they are doomed to collapse at the first touch.

In the Middle Ages, attacks on morale were often more effective than actual killing.

One advantage that Western European knights have over other arms is that when they charge, they can only move forward.

Those infantrymen who faced the attack directly had to bear a lot of pressure, because in their eyes, it seemed as if all the galloping horses were coming towards them.

Once the rout begins, it will be extremely difficult to stop it.

Another blow brought by the knights' charge was the destruction of the formation. The number of people actually killed by the knights in the first wave of attack was not large.

However, once the attacker's formation is disrupted, it means that they will find it difficult to deal with subsequent attacks.

This point is even more obvious and highlighted in the history of the Crusades.

During the First Crusade, at the Battle of Dorylaeum, the infantry was left in their tents, and only the cavalry fought alone.

In this battle, the infantry could not even guarantee the safety of the camp.

The Turkish outflanking force successfully entered the camp and massacred hundreds of non-combatants.

The Crusaders at that time were only familiar with one tactic, which was to rely on knights to conduct shock operations.

In their view, infantry can only be used to open the battle by firing a rain of arrows at the enemy before the two sides officially engage in battle, or they can only be used to guard the camp.

However, the Battle of Dorylaeum taught them that the infantry of the Crusaders might not even be able to hold their camp.

[We were like sheep in a flock, crowded together, and had already lost our minds. Although we were surrounded by the Turks, we had no courage to break out from any direction.]

However, at this desperate moment, the situation was suddenly reversed.

Earlier in the day, Bohemond had sent out messengers to look for the right wing (which seemed to have lost contact), and the messengers finally found the right wing camped six or seven miles away.

After learning about the battle situation, Godfrey of Boulogne, who later became the "Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre", Raymond of Toulouse and other generals immediately led all their knights to dress up and rush to the battlefield at full speed.

When this group of knights arrived at the battlefield, the Turks had already gathered their troops and exposed their flanks in order to approach the camp.

Godfrey of Boulogne, with his 55 retainers and knights, took the lead in attacking the Turks, and other knights followed closely behind.

Hundreds of knights brought an extremely fierce charge. The Franks swept the left wing of the Turks and launched an attack on their center from the rear.

The Turks were simply unable to withstand such an attack and were completely defeated in an instant. Only the Sultan's guards held out for a short while, allowing the Sultan himself to escape.

Bohemond also launched a desperate charge at this time, making the victory more complete.

From this time on, the Crusaders suddenly realized that the charging effect created by them as knights was far beyond what those lightly armed nomadic Turkic cavalry could match.

Coincidentally, in the following battles, the knights' group charge played the role of the winner. A well-timed attack was enough to reverse all the previous mistakes.

The knights' charge could easily stop the light cavalry's detour.

Even in the Battle of Acre which just ended, Barbarossa achieved this effect.

Just like in the battle of Montgisard, Saladin was defeated by the desperate charge of the knights. Compared with the European infantry at that time, the Saracen infantry also lacked professional training, and even in many battles, there were no infantry at all.

On the contrary, the Crusader States quickly established their own heavy infantry groups, relying on the coordination between infantry and cavalry to capture cities at will in the early days of the Crusader States.

Under such circumstances, the Second Kingdom would naturally be eager for an extremely elite army of knights.

This means that combat can often be very simple.

Of course, Gailis had his objections. Although he did not reject a large army of knights, he could not tolerate the Second Kingdom becoming a so-called country of knights.

Garys didn't care about honorary titles or honorary nobility, he would give out as many as they wanted.

While chatting with Balian, Balian also smiled bitterly about this.

"A family without blemish is the real nobility."

"do you have it?"

"No." Balian was very frank.

"After my father became rich, he said he was a descendant of the French Chartres family, but he also confessed to me that he was actually Italian and had the power to wield the sword by chance."

"I suspect that he is actually a serf knight. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why he is so skilled in martial arts but never mentions the identity of his ancestors."

Balian spread his hands, and this was actually the current situation of many nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Take Garys himself for example. He actually couldn't explain clearly where his ancestors came from.

All we can say is that it was because of the Crusades that Gailis' ancestors had the opportunity to prosper and become minor nobles.

In fact, many of the thousands of knights led by Barbarossa were in similar situations to the ancestors of Garys and Balian.

"The kingdom lacks direct cavalry, which is very inconvenient in war. If they are willing to become professional cavalry, then we can discuss things like knighthood or aristocratic pensions."

Gailis did not intend to abolish the aristocratic system directly. As far as the current situation was concerned, Gailis felt that he could not do it in one step.

Since we cannot achieve our goal in one go, we have to acknowledge and utilize certain systems.

According to Gellis, if everyone is a noble, then no one is a noble.

The word "noble" itself does not have any complicated meaning.

Therefore, he felt that instead of abolishing the aristocratic system directly, it would be better for everyone to have an official position and become aristocrats together.

The key is to break down the iron barrier between common people and nobles.

Besides, is there any value in the nobility these days?
The nobles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem are especially ridiculous.

Two hundred years ago, even a landlord or a self-employed farmer would dare to use the term "aristocracy". The term that had real value was the aristocratic lord, not the aristocrat.

As for something like a knighthood, it is even less valuable. It is just a name after all.

"As long as they can serve long-term and stably, we will provide them with allowances. After they retire, they will receive a lifetime annuity subsidy based on their military merits, years of service and military rank."

"If the person dies, he or she can designate one person as the beneficiary based on the closeness of his or her blood relationship. It will also be a lifelong annuity, and he or she will be given priority in being absorbed into the system."

For Garys, as long as the crops are not hardcore ones that will increase exponentially, there is no hesitation in giving money for subsidies.

Anyway, military rank is a lifelong honor, so of course knighthood can also be a lifelong honor, but it is just an honor.

It is impossible for Gailis to take the initiative to enthrone any manor owner, nor will he truly enfeoff noble lords.

"So what are you going to do with them?"

"The Knight of the Imperial Order is actually quite good."

"Knight of the Imperial Order?"

"Correct."

……

"I have to say, the wine here in Tyre is really good."

In front of Leon, Lucas raised the glass towards him, showing the expensive wine in this expensive wine vessel.

High-proof rum became a favorite of many German knights.

Especially in the current situation, Barbarossa's unexpected death has caused quite a number of German knights to fall into a state of confusion, not knowing where to go.

Those knights who had land in their hometowns naturally thought about how to get it back as quickly as possible.

The second sons of the middle and upper class families were hesitating whether to fight to the death in the Holy Land. After all, the emperor had already died.

Lucas is the latter, but he seems to have found a new way out recently and has a lot more money in his pocket.

I can drag myself to the city of Tyre, drinking rum.

"You've heard about Prince Frederick changing his name to Eden."

"Yes, he also said that he wanted to go to the source of the two rivers, rebuild Edessa and pursue the Garden of Eden. Many knights who have close relations with His Highness have been persuaded."

"But they didn't look for you?"

Leon nodded, then couldn't help but sigh.

Among the German Crusaders, there were only knights who owned land or nobles like Lucas.

"Knights" like me are the most embarrassed.

Someone like him, apart from his skills in swordplay and riding, has no way of proving himself to be a real knight.

Of course, he was not a real knight. In terms of political identity and status, he was actually a serf.

In Germany, or in northern Italy, even serfs on the manor could give birth to fairly wealthy families, and in terms of ecological niche, they were actually closer to free people.

It is actually possible to ask such families to provide cavalry service or assume knightly obligations.

Of course, it was impossible to break free from one's serf status or become a real knight with territory in mainland Germany.

The Crusades gave people like Leon an opportunity.

According to the rumors Leon had heard, the Holy Land was a place of opportunity, where sword and horse were the capital for fighting, and no one cared about your ancestors.

Therefore, they tried every means to package themselves as "knights" and blend into the ranks of the Crusaders in order to seek a future.

But now Barbarossa is dead!
Although Prince Frederick was also trying to win people's hearts, the other party was limited by their financial resources and prestige and did not care about a knight like him who was at the bottom and had no family reputation.

After all, Barbarossa could pay a large sum of money to buy off their loyalty, but Prince Frederick did not have that kind of money.

When setting out on the expedition, Barbarossa gave each person a starting 100 gold coins!

It was precisely because of his generosity that Barbarossa was so prestigious among the German Crusaders and everyone's morale was so high.

Just charge the artillery position head-on and give Saladin a little shock to the knights.

But Prince Frederick obviously did not have the financial resources, so he could only gather some knights who were close to him as his team.

An unknown little knight like Leon fell into a situation where no one cared about him or cared about him.

"Aren't you going back home?"

"Uh, the boat ticket costs at least 5 gold dinars, and I can't afford that money, brother."

"Tsk..."

Lucas sighed, but he also knew that this deal was easy for him.

"You want to stay in the Holy Land, right? Do you want to make a name for yourself here?"

"of course."

"In the kingdom, Balian and his men are planning a secular knight order. If you are interested, I can introduce them to you."

"No proof of pedigree required?"

Leon was a little surprised, but since Lucas was an acquaintance of his, there was no need to hide too much from him.

"Being able to ride a horse, use a sword, and kill people makes you a good knight in the Holy Land..."

"Of course, there are not so many manors here, but the kingdom will give more salary subsidies. That money is enough for you to recruit some squires for yourself, so that you can truly enjoy the life that a knight should have."

Lucas raised his glass again and invited Leon.

The crystal wine vessel and the sweet liquor in his hand seemed to be the symbol of the knight's life, making Leon swallow his saliva unconsciously.

And this scene has been played out countless times in the city of Tyre.

"Of course, because of the war with Muslims, the Kingdom does not only require 40 days of service, but requires a year-round war readiness, which is quite different from my hometown."

The origin of the Order of Knights comes from the middle and late stages of the Hundred Years' War. In the face of continuous wars, the traditional 40-day service in the feudal system was not enough, no matter how they tried to extend it. If we rely too much on mercenaries, it will cause serious social problems.

The quality of mercenaries often varies greatly, but generally speaking they are professional thugs who burn, kill, loot, refuse to disband, and extort ransoms... causing great damage to the social economy.

Eventually the King of France chose to form a standing army composed of nobles, replaced manor land with generous salary allowances, and required knights to serve year-round.

In 1439, King Aaron VII signed a decree to establish a royal army to combat the mercenary bands that roamed and plundered France. They were called the Compagnie d'ordonnance.

In 1445, Aaron VII again issued an edict to confirm these troops as permanent standing armies, and the heavy cavalry among them were gens d'armes, known as gendarmes d'ordonnance, which literally means knights of the ordinance.

Different from the feudal conscripted knights of the old times, the imperial knights who received years of training were more disciplined. Initially, an imperial company was theoretically organized into one hundred lance teams.

The so-called lance team, in layman's terms, is the knights and their followers.

A traditional squire's duties would include polishing a knight's armor and weapons, helping the knight don and doff his armor, taking care of his belongings, and even sleeping at his door as a guard.

The composition of a lance team is more specific. In addition to the knights, it usually includes an armed squire with slightly inferior equipment, an apprentice squire and servant who does not participate in combat, and two to five mounted crossbowmen, a total of six to eight people.

Historical Lancers

When fighting, it is not the case that a cavalry lance team will rush forward. In fact, the Imperial Knights will be assembled and used, and their followers will be deployed separately.

To be more precise, they are heavy knights and mounted infantry.

Out of a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder, Gellis decided to rename the Lancers as the Class.

A squad consists of eight people in total. The so-called imperial knight himself will serve as the squad leader, and an armed squire with slightly inferior equipment will serve as the deputy squad leader. Two squires will take care of the horses and be responsible for weapon maintenance. Four mounted infantrymen will use bows, crossbows, swords, shields and spears as support forces to follow the knights in battle.

Since there are differences between knight combat and other infantry combat, according to Gellis's suggestion, it is not actually a company or platoon organization of 44.

But it is in the form of squadrons and battalions.

10个班一个中队、4个中队为1个大队，这样一来1个大队下面就是40名敕令骑士，40名装备稍差但能一同冲锋的武装侍从，还有160名骑马步兵，以及80名处理后勤问题的侍从。

Such a brigade of 320 people seemed quite reasonable to knights like Balian. It could be said that it brought the knights' combat capabilities to the maximum extent possible.

You don't need too many imperial knight battalions like this; just three are enough to launch a devastating charge on the battlefield.

This means 240 elite cavalrymen and 480 mounted infantrymen to assist them in the battle.

In addition, Balian also made suggestions.

Because Balian had used artillery several times before, he already had a very good feel for the effects of that new weapon.

"We can also equip it with artillery. After installing lighter cannons on the carriages that transport supplies, we can provide our knights with more powerful firepower."

"If each battalion is equipped with four artillery pieces, it will become a complete combat unit. Such a combat unit is highly mobile, has firepower, has the support of mounted infantry, and is capable of launching decisive charges and pursuit against the enemy."

"We will organize a brigade of about 400 people, all on horseback, and deploy them on the border. Compared with the previous border infantry battalion, such a brigade can protect a longer border. This will also effectively reduce the losses caused by Saladin's harassment war against us."

Garys nodded. Given the current situation, Balian's suggestion was undoubtedly pertinent.

"But there is a key problem with forming such a force: it is... too expensive."

Compared with traditional feudal knights, such a brigade of knights had 320 people, everyone had to have a horse, 40 knights served throughout the year, and 4 cannons.

This is undoubtedly a huge test of the kingdom's financial resources.

(End of this chapter)