Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 260: The End of the Battle of Aka

Zakaria held the spear, his legs shaking constantly. Previously, he was standing on the tower, which was higher than the city wall.

Therefore, the impact of the explosion can be felt more intuitively.

It was the collapse of heaven and earth, it was a star in the dark night.

The stone tower beneath my feet was shaking. This was not a force that humans should be able to resist.

Even though some Saracen officers later organized a human wall and tried to block the gap, the subsequent explosion dispersed the crowd.

The Crusaders rushed up the first city wall with almost no effort.

Zakaria did not dare to continue fighting here and quickly retreated to the second city wall.

But the Crusaders who flocked to the city did not intend to stop there.

Hundreds of black powder grenades were thrown into the inner wall after their fuses were lit.

With a loud explosion and the sound of war cries, ladders one after another leaned against the inner wall.

It can be said that the Crusaders' attack on the city of Acre reached its climax from the very beginning. The explosion, which was beyond the times, caught the defenders of Acre off guard.

Compared with the heavily guarded outer wall, which is at least seven meters high, there are almost no guards on the lower inner wall.

All the defenders on duty did not expect that the Jerusalem army could break through the outer wall so quickly. Their main forces were still concentrated on the outer wall.

The subsequent grenade throwing further suppressed the soldiers on the inner wall and made it impossible for them to deal with the ladders.
Roger's company commander Laurent, as soon as he saw the ladder was set up, he pushed aside the soldiers in front of the ladder and rushed up the stairs without hesitation.

Compared with ordinary ladders, siege ladders have to be very long and are not particularly stable.

When Laurent climbed up alone, he was shaking violently, but as the company commander, he didn't bother to be cautious.

The grenades that had just been thrown had already cleared the top of the inner wall. If we didn't climb up quickly at this stage, the ladder might be pushed away by someone in a while.

At this time, staying where you are is tantamount to waiting for death. Only by moving forward can you have more chances of survival.

It can be said that Laurent is now free of distractions. The only thing on his mind is climbing the ladder. He doesn't think about any other dangers.

The sounds of grenades exploding not far away and the panicked wailing and groaning on the wall had nothing to do with him.

With this indomitable momentum, Laurent climbed to the top of the inner city wall in just a few breaths.

This scene served as a leading example to other soldiers.

Immediately, others followed Laurent's example and began to climb desperately.

It was only after Laurent rushed to the top of the wall that he realized that this was an exaggeration.

At this early morning, most of the defenders in Acre were still resting and had not climbed up to the top of the wall.

Just as Laurent was gathering his men, he heard footsteps. Soldiers who were startled by the previous artillery battle were rushing up the city wall from the barracks under the wall.

The soldier who was rushing in the front became particularly hesitant after seeing the scene on the wall, and stopped subconsciously.

The defenders at the back were in a hurry to rush up, and more than twenty people were huddled together for more than ten seconds.

Seeing this, Laurent naturally lit a grenade and threw it in that direction, clearing a space.

By the time Roger rushed to the top of the wall, he subconsciously felt nauseous.

Wars in the gunpowder age are no longer similar to those in the cold weapon age.

A day ago, Roger and his men confronted the cavalry for half an afternoon, and the total number of deaths on both sides was less than twenty.

Now, just by rushing over the wall, you can see corpses and internal organs piled up like a mountain.

……

Acre can be divided into the old city and the new city.
The old city and the new city each have a section of inner wall, and the two urban areas are also separated by a section of city wall.

Outside the entire inner city is the outer wall.

Thirty tall towers are scattered on these city walls.

For the soldiers led by Laurent, they must capture more towers as quickly as possible before the enemy can react.

Garys naturally led the charge, rushing to the front of the team and fighting bravely.

From time to time, feather arrows flew past Gailis's ears.

For Garys, arrows of this speed were nothing to worry about.

After rushing down several towers, a large number of Saracen defenders reacted and tried to drive Gellis and his small group of soldiers off the wall.

Garys raised his sword and appeared ten steps away. He passed by the defenders and seven or eight heads fell to the ground and rolled on the wall.

"this!"

Behind them, the defenders who happened to see this scene were stunned and deeply shocked.

The two guys, who didn't know how to live or die, tried to muster up the courage to hold up their spears and stab Gellis.

But after just a moment, the opponent was cut in half.

In this flash of swords and sabers, Garys's movements were so violent that no one could see clearly.

Both the defenders and the soldiers under Garys saw the two ignorant fellows with their bodies cut open above the waist like a pair of scissors, blood and internal organs gushing out, and there was no way to stop the bleeding.

Many defenders quickly retreated and cried out loudly.

"Devil! Devil! The Crusaders are truly devils!"

Their faith in Allah became stronger.

But this firm reason is not what they want.

With Garys leading the charge, no matter how many defenders there were on the narrow city wall, Garys was the only one who could hold off a thousand.

Naturally, it is victory after victory.

It was at this time that Saladin's camp woke up and began to organize reinforcements in an attempt to disrupt the Crusaders' siege.

Almost an hour had passed since the city wall was blasted, and it was at this moment that all thirty towers were about to be captured.

The earth shook with a roar.

Thousands of cavalrymen were lined up on the Acre Plain like dark clouds.

Saladin, who received the news about the situation in Acre, was extremely anxious.

It's only been two nights, how come the city of Acre is about to be destroyed!
In order to save Acre, Saladin issued death orders to the emirs under his command.

We must defend Acre at all costs.

Time seemed to have gone back to a day ago, except that at that time, there were only a thousand people guarding the camp, but now there are nearly ten thousand people guarding the camp.

Garys led his elite core into the bloody battle of mincing the city walls. In this battle that required a decisive blow, he could not care about too much. He had to use speed to defeat slow in order to win steadily.

Those who remained outside the city at this time were naturally the troops of the German Crusaders and Knights, as well as the conscripted soldiers of the feudal lords.

These people totaled less than 10,000 people, and were mainly infantry. They were arranged in thick square formations of thousands of people, ready to resist the impact of Saladin's cavalry.

The archers in the formation were also ready to fight back.

Generally speaking, nomadic cavalry would not charge head-on into dense infantry formations.

In addition to the psychological offensive in battle, they would look for the enemy's weak flanks and in the process rain a barrage of arrows into the army.

The Crusader Franks had accumulated rich experience from their long battles with the Saracens.

In order to deal with such a passive situation, the Franks would arrange large groups of heavily armored cavalry behind and on the flanks of their own army to drive away those Saracen cavalry who dared to go around them.

Most of the time, the knights would return to their camp after driving away the Saracen cavalry.

And there are many times when the hot-headed knights will even give chase.

In the former case, it was actually the archers in the army who fought back against the Saracen cavalry.

The knight actually plays the role of protecting the flanks and buttocks. After all, the range of the infantry bow is three times that of the horse bow.

If the latter situation occurs, there will basically be no good results.

The battles between the Eastern Empire and the Muslim Turks allowed them to sum up a lot of experience.

1. There must always be tough and sufficient infantry on the battlefield.

Second, outposts and sentries must be carefully set up around the army to prevent surprise attacks.

3. Avoid engaging in battle on broken terrain where the enemy’s deployment cannot be observed.

4. Maintain a sufficient number of reserves and flankers;

5. When fighting, ensure that there are natural obstacles such as rivers, swamps, cliffs, etc. to protect your back (and flanks if possible) to prevent the roundabout tactics commonly used by the Turks from threatening your flanks or camp defenders.

6. The camp must be fortified.

7. Never pursue the enemy recklessly, and never allow the infantry to become disconnected from the cavalry.

Even though the Eastern Empire had such rich battlefield experience, it still suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Turks.

The Franks, who were in the latter situation, repeated their mistakes over and over again.

That is to say: the knights pursued recklessly, causing the infantry and cavalry to become disconnected, and because their horsepower was exhausted, they were then slaughtered in turn by the Saracen cavalry.

Of course, the Saracens were actually repeating their mistakes again and again.

That is: they often encountered knights head-on in narrow terrain, and then were at a loss when faced with the enthusiastic lance charges.

However, this battle will not be a repeat of the past. After all, nowadays, the two forces in the Palestinian region have taken a big step into the next era in the fierce war.

This time, the Franks protected their flanks not with knights but with a large number of horse-drawn carriages loaded with light artillery.

Even though everyone knew a few days ago that they should not get too close to the Frankish army to avoid being hit by cannonballs.

But now, just by looking at the big hole in the wall of Acre, you can know how critical the situation in the city is.

In this situation, the Saracen cavalry had no time to hesitate.

In the rush of war, they were hastily thrown into the wrong battlefield.

The sea of ​​cavalry, moving like thunder and boiling like the sea, struck the reefs, and the reefs shone with the fire of saltpeter. This was a battle involving nearly 30,000 people.

The Frankish army, in coordination with the main camp, built an iron wall on the Acre Plain.

Every confrontation resulted in the loss and sacrifice of life.

Many tribal leaders tried to organize riders to break through the enemy's formation, but then they despaired.

Bedouin tribes, Kurdish tribes, Turkic tribes...

Their cavalry are not just soldiers, they are also the production units of the tribe. When tribal leaders use their riders to fight, they must consider the input and output.

For these tribes, if the losses are too heavy, even if they win and seize a large amount of spoils, where will they get the military force to defend the spoils?

Compared with Western Europe, which has a relatively stable social order, the morale of tribal riders and the upper limit of morale are naturally much lower.

There is no way to deal with a battle that is too brutal.

No matter how talented and wise Saladin was, he could not make adjustments on this issue.

Faced with this brutal battle of mincing, Emir and the tribal leaders finally came up with a strategy.

They decided to send a troop to bypass the blockade and make a detour through the distant hills. Of course, this would take a very long time.

Especially at this time, Balian had led nearly 500 knights, plus about 1,000 heavy infantry, as a detachment and broke away from the main camp.

These knights were composed mainly of the previously recruited Knights of the Imperial Order, as well as knights from the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller.

Known as the "Defender of Jerusalem", Balian is undoubtedly a legend.

In this era of the 12th century, having a high prestige itself means being able to appease the military.

The sound of horse hooves came from the south. Balian, who had been waiting for a long time, raised his spear. This was a flat area between the hills. The terrain here was slightly broken and could hide a large group of troops.

When the sound of Saracen cavalry's horses' hooves came, Balian and the knights behind him turned a corner and appeared in front of the nomadic riders.

Through the narrow vision of the barrel helmet, Balian noticed the hesitation of the nomadic riders. Balian understood one thing: these enemies were afraid.

Another gallop, another charge was about to begin, and in this battle, the Saracens committed a big mistake - they encountered the knights who had been waiting for a long time in the narrow terrain.

……

With the surrender of the last tower of Acre's outer wall, the outcome was already decided.

The relatively low interior walls are at a great disadvantage when faced with a situation where the towering exterior walls are completely conquered.

Unlike the Siege of Acre in 1291, Acre at this time did not strengthen its inner walls or dig moats on the outer walls.

When the riders reported that all the cross flags were raised on the walls of Acre, Saladin had no choice but to be angry.

Faced with his subordinates who were constantly fleeing, he had no choice but to withdraw his troops and begin preparing for retreat.

Now that Saka City has been breached, the camp here is no longer meaningful.

The large number of artillery pieces prepared earlier were supposed to be the deciding factor on the battlefield, but they were all seized by Barbarossa by chance.

He began to gather his troops and gave up the plan to continue fighting with the Crusaders under the city of Acre. He even planned to give up almost all the territory north of the city of Jerusalem.

Saladin was able to clearly measure the relationship between people and land.

Acre, which was conquered by Saladin a year and a half ago, once again returned to the embrace of the Kingdom of Jerusalem amid blood and smoke.

Gellis went in again through the city gate.

On both sides of the road were blood-stained soldiers who saluted Gellis in unison, and Gellis saluted them back. This was a brief ceremony of entering the city.

No one came forward to surrender, and no citizens came out to cheer. All those red tape and unnecessary things did not appear at all.

In the simplest and most brutal way, Gellis declared his military power to the Mediterranean world. If he wanted to possess Acre, he could take it with just a raise of his hand.

This also means that Gellis has become the elephant in the room, completely exposed on the stage.

Even though the Jerusalem nobles might have thought of pretending to be blind and ignoring the matter, they now had to examine this "Saint of Jerusalem".

In the face of such military force, the citizens of Acre, both Greeks and Saracens, remained silent.

Even the European Crusaders and knights from the two major knightly orders who entered the city with Gellis' army seemed a little confused and unreal.

To these "friendly troops", it seemed as if they had only experienced a day of marching and a day of rest.

Then they stood there and watched how bravely and skillfully the troops under Garys fought, even though they had done so little in the battle that they did not know how to ask for the spoils.

In the original history, Acre was conquered by Richard the Lionheart.

After the recovery of Acre, due to its wealth, it quickly replaced Tyre and became the capital of the kingdom.

After Richard the Lionheart signed a peace agreement with Saladin, the Kingdom of Jerusalem began to give up and engage in tough confrontation with the Muslim world.

Instead, it took advantage of Acre's unique geographical advantages and relied on its peaceful relations with neighboring Islamic countries to gradually become a trade hub connecting the East and the West and became increasingly prosperous.

In the original history, the kingdom in the 13th century was able to get along well with all Islamic countries and once showed signs of revival.

Of course, ever since the Kingdom of Jerusalem lost Jerusalem, the royal power of Jerusalem has become a laughing stock and no one cares.

As for Acre, it is known as the City of Knights. The three major knightly orders in history all set up their headquarters here.

Other small knight orders also used this place as their headquarters.

From then on, a new chapter began in the kingdom.

The royal power declined, while the influence of the Knights became more and more prosperous. This was the dilemma of the original kingdom in history.

Not now, whether Isabella ascends the throne directly or not.

But after Gellis demonstrated such military power, Isabella's prestige actually rose.

You should know that this time, the main force of the siege was not the Crusaders from Europe, but the army trained in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a legion "directly under" the kingdom.

Even though Gaillis himself didn't care much, the impact he caused has reversed the course of history.

No one will be able to ignore him anymore, and the attitudes of people around him will inevitably change.

For example, when the news reached Tyre, the faces of Humphrey and Guy were extremely distorted, compared to how miserable they were.

The success of Garys and his colleagues is even more infuriating.

……

Of course, although the main urban areas of Acre have been captured, it does not mean that all resistance activities in the city have ended.

In the city of Acre, there is a castle in the center of the city, which is resisting.

However, when faced with the encirclement of the Crusaders, the other side showed a clear intention of not wanting to resist.

Even the delegation sent by Gellis was let in.

The leader of this mission was actually not a Christian.

Rather, it was the bearded Imam Elias from Transjordan.

Since Gairis was recognized by many Imams in Transjordan, he actually began to organize a union of Muslim scholars.

It can be regarded as a new advisory committee that is responsible for coordinating the Muslim believers in the territory so that they can accept the existence and appearance of Gairis.

This organization has been very effective in Transjordan.

The conflicts between different ethnic groups began to be bridged due to the efforts of the committee and the qualities displayed by Gellis himself.

When Gailis needs to start expanding his power, he will naturally need more advisers to help him communicate with the Muslim people.

These people, represented by Elias, came to Tyre half a year ago, and together with Garys, preached to the people in the territory.

When Elias walked in, the Emir guarding the city was quite surprised. After all, he had never thought that the person who came in to persuade them to surrender would be a Sunni Islamic scholar.

For this reason, the Emir of Kanata was quite respectful, but of course he had no choice but to give face. Now Saladin was estimated to have given up the city of Acre, and the castle was surrounded by the Crusaders.

The artillery that was originally outside the city was gradually moved in.

Whenever Emir of Kanata saw those cannons, his legs would tremble.

The military force that the Emir of Kanata relied on in the past is now extremely weak and powerless.

The Emir of Kanata was naturally overjoyed that a Muslim scholar could come in as an envoy to persuade them to surrender.

"Hey! Fellow believers, we are all the people of Allah, you must help me get this done!"

The once domineering Emir pleaded humbly.

The bearded Elias patted the Emir of Kanata.

"Don't worry! Lord Gairis, he is the prophet chosen by Allah, a saint who is as powerful as Samson."

"Uh……"

Emir of Kanata didn't know what to do after hearing the bearded man's nonsense.

Then no, are you really a Sunni Imam?
Would Sunni scholars say there are prophets out there?
Kanata was at a loss as to what to do. He sighed and had no choice but to agree under the circumstances. After all, the situation was stronger than the person.

The subordinates standing by expressed their opposition on the spot, believing that they should not surrender like this, at least not surrender to the infidels so easily.

At this time, Cannata asked: "What if the Franks break through the fortress and come in to massacre the women and children?"

Faced with such moral questions, the subordinates around Cannata didn't know how to respond. After all, they had heard about the Franks' bloodthirstiness since they were young.

They were massacred when Antioch was captured, they were massacred when Jerusalem was captured, and even the city of Acre right under their feet was looted by the Genoese when it was captured.

[They were seized by the ravenous flames and engaged in an orgy of pillage which is said to have claimed the lives of about 4 of the inhabitants and defenders that day.]

When Cannata heard the bearded man's assurance, his expression softened. He also learned from Balian by seeking a favorable peace agreement from the Franks for the safety of women and children.

The legitimacy of this was even praised by Sultan Saladin. Of course, Kanata, with a heart full of shame, would never reveal his true intentions. While the women and children were safe, the safety of Emir Kanata himself was also guaranteed.

Of course, there was no need for Cannata to feel ashamed of such an event. Forty years later, Frederick II, grandson of Frederick Barbarossa, recaptured Jerusalem without bloodshed or loss of a single soldier by demonstrating military strength and diplomatic negotiations.

Compared with the Sixth Crusade in later generations, Cannata had no need to feel ashamed of it. At least he had fought on the wall at the risk of his life, and his subordinates had suffered heavy losses, and no one could find any fault with it.

At this point, the city of Acre was completely captured.

(End of this chapter)