Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 276 Please have mercy on me!
There are indeed variables. Since the previous king died halfway through his career in 1186, it has been three years to this day, the end of 1189.

During these three years, all kinds of insects have swarmed one after another on this ancient land of Palestine. Which year was not a year of great changes?
Every year there are always unexpected changes...

However, from the perspective of the overall situation, at this juncture, no matter how things change, the overall situation is beneficial to the Second Kingdom.

1187 was a rout, 1188 was a stalemate, and 1189 was a counterattack.
Of course, it is difficult to generalize for specific people.

The military operations of the Second Kingdom changed at this stage, when a counterattack was launched in Transjordan and Saladin chose to retreat to Jerusalem.

The main mission of the army under Garys is to recover lost territory.

During this period, not only Nazareth was conquered. In fact, with the sudden attack of Gairis on Tashan, he suppressed dozens of Turkish heroes by himself. As a result, the leaderless Turkic tribes could not be stopped and fled on a large scale.

Whether it was Nazareth, Haifa, or even the city of Tiberias, where a large army had gathered to prepare for a counterattack, the choices were either war or peace.

For a moment, Garys showed his potential and was busy taking over the territory.

Of course, although there are some companies stationed in these towns to a greater or lesser extent, as for the surrounding rural areas, we can only leave it to chance.

Just as Gellis was considering the issue and wondering whether to directly break through the Jordan River and join forces with Transjordan, a messenger from Tyre reported to him the situation in Tyre.

According to the messenger's report, Balian and Sibilla's health problems have become very serious.

After seeing another secret letter sent to him, Gailis remained silent for a long time.

"Sir?" Mono, who was standing aside, was a little confused about what was going on.

In the previous moment, the expression on Gailis's face was a little happy, but also a little ashamed. It seemed that he had thought a lot, and finally he forced himself to suppress his emotional fluctuations.

In Mono's opinion, the emotional fluctuations just now were something he had never seen in these days.

"Nothing, nothing. Maybe the plan has changed. You need to go to the south. Make sure to establish a connection to Transjordan."

Gellis will leave the rest of the task entirely to the Knights of the Imperial Order, hoping that this thousand-man army can open the road to Transjordan.

And he himself needs to go back.

From the Sea of ​​Galilee to the Dead Sea, this section of the Jordan River is about 100 kilometers long. If the three battalions of the Knights Templar are stationed in three locations, the actual defense line of each battalion is only about 20 kilometers long.

For the Knights of the Imperial Order, who were all on horseback, a twenty-kilometer maneuver would take no more than two hours, which was really nothing.

As for the wars in other directions, the levies of the feudal lords in Tripoli had been disbanded, and Antioch's troops, together with a part of the German Crusaders, were alert to the movements of the enemy in the direction of Damascus.

At present, the territory of the Second Kingdom is basically a long and narrow strip along the northern part of the eastern Mediterranean coast. Although the shape of this territory means a lack of depth, it can at least enable rapid maneuvering by sea.

In this way, if the enemy forces in Damascus attack, on the one hand, their energy and time will be distracted by the castles of various feudal lords, but on the other hand, they will be able to get support quickly and prepare for the subsequent assembly of troops for a large-scale battle.

As for Henry, the son of Barbarossa, the leader of the German Crusaders, he also has his own plans. He has written many letters and sent them to the German nobles he is familiar with. He needs reinforcements from the Holy Roman Empire.

Not long ago, Eden received the news.

His elder brother Henry VI completed his coronation in Rome and became the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Although there are still many long-term disputes within Shinra, Eden still hopes that his brother can help.

He wrote bluntly in the letter that he hoped to establish a new Crusader kingdom on the land of Mesopotamia, the source of the two rivers.

"Those lands are in the hands of misguided people, and our destiny is to take back the creation of the Lord from those misguided people. In Damascus, a city with a population of hundreds of thousands, its wealth has attracted countless Crusaders... The Second Crusade failed, but in the Third Crusade we are stronger than ever before."

"I have witnessed many 'miracles' in the ancient holy land of Palestine. The Kingdom of Jerusalem possesses advanced military technology. The invention of an alchemical product called gunpowder, combined with a new weapon called artillery, is bound to change the battlefield situation."

"Our father captured a batch of bronze cannons in the previous war with Saladin, but unfortunately he went to heaven because of it."

"I sent ten cannons back with the ship. There are also Saracen gunners who are proficient in the use of cannons and Saracen craftsmen who know how to build cannons on the ship."

"We should not put this weapon aside because of its danger, but should use it to gain an advantage on the battlefield. I believe these weapons from the East will surprise Henry the Lion..."

Henry the Lion, Barbarossa's old friend and rival, was returning to Germany from England to begin conquering the vast estates of his former Duchy of Saxony.

"Gallis..."

When Eden wrote about Garys, he was a little hesitant and didn't know how to introduce him to his brother.

In the end, it was just a hasty summary, praising Gillis's piety and virtue, as well as his erudition and strict military discipline, rather than declaring Gillis a prophet.

After all, if I rashly wrote something like this, it might lead to misunderstanding by my brother.

"In addition, the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem is currently in turmoil. The current Queen Sibylla is now dying after holding on for a long time. I am not sure about the Empire's attitude towards the succession to the throne of Jerusalem."

"But I need to point out that Queen Sibylla's husband Guy was a member of the Lusignan family. He was a Frenchman and a vassal of Charles the Lionheart and King Henry of England."

"The Anglo-French crusaders now staying in Cyprus may make their own decision on this issue."

"Until you reply and express your position, I will consider the interests of the Empire and oppose the deepening influence of Britain and France in the Holy Land."

This was a very long letter, describing in detail what Eden had seen and heard in Jerusalem, the help he needed, and his wish to inform his brother Henry VI that he could use cannons to beat Henry the Lion.

He believed that his letter would bring him a large number of reinforcements and help him regain the ancient "Garden of Eden".

……

On this winter day, as the year 90 was about to arrive, the sky over Tyre was gloomy and covered with iron-like clouds, obscuring the light on the sea.

The air was filled with a mixture of rot and salt.

Sibylla's bed was placed in a somewhat simple room. Her face was pale due to the high fever, and her once bright eyes were now dim.

Without her glory, she is just a woman.

And now she was dying.

The wind outside the window suddenly blew the curtains violently, bringing a hint of coolness.

Her consciousness gradually faded, but at the last moment, a faint light pierced through the dark clouds and shone on her face. The woman's lips moved slightly, and she whispered a prayer.

"Lord, forgive my sins and let my soul be reunited with my children and my brother..."

Surrounded by the crowd, her fingers drooped limply, and with a sigh, Sibilla's life came to an end at this moment.

In the distance, the waves continued to beat against the beach, uncaring about the passing of a queen.

"Merciful God, you are the eternal light, in charge of life and death. You have promised that those who trust in you will not fall into eternal darkness. Now, your maid Sibylla has reached the end of her life. Please have mercy on her, forgive her sins, and let her soul rest in your arms, to be with the angels and neighbors with the saints. Lord, please accept her, just as you accepted Mary and all the saints."

Patriarch Iraklius was present.

The attendants beside her were also chanting: "Lord, please have mercy! Lord, please have mercy! Please wipe away the pain in her life and let her enjoy peace in your kingdom. Please bless her soul and protect our broken kingdom."

As for Isabella, she watched all this silently, and Guy was beside her.

Now, Guy's face was just as pale, and his body stood as stiff as a statue.

His hands were clenched white, his knuckles trembled slightly, and his eyes were fixed on Sibyl lying on the sickbed, but he seemed unable to accept it all.

In Isabella's opinion, Guy might feel some remorse, but it was unlikely that he would feel guilty.

Under the protection of the guards, Isabella left first.

Behind her, under the dark cloud sky, a queen left silently, and no one in the city seemed to care.

……

History always vilifies or beautifies some things, but later generations don’t care about their predecessors.

With Sibylla's unexpected death, the kingdom's political situation, which had been relatively calm, suddenly became turbulent like a huge rock hitting a pond.

It was not uncommon for Christian nobles in the Levant to have difficulty in having children.

Faced with the high probability of aristocracy becoming extinct, the Franks had no choice but to acknowledge that the throne could be inherited through female bloodline.

Due to the difficulties the kingdom experienced during Sibylla's reign and the fatal defeat at the Battle of Galilee, most of the nobles tacitly ignored Sibylla's daughter.

Of course, from an age perspective, a group of little girls, the oldest of whom is no more than nine years old, are indeed not suitable to inherit the throne.

Baldwin V was chosen because he was a male, and with the support of the Leper King and a large number of aristocratic factions, he became the heir.

As for Guy?

He was a co-monarch who received a crown as Sibylla's husband.

This situation can also be seen in some 21st century French. For example, Duchess and Duchess are essentially the same word: Duchesse.

But the powers possessed by the two are obviously not the same.

Therefore, when Sibylla died, and Guy was unwilling to let her daughter be crowned, his crown was actually already shaky.

When an heir to the throne is needed, there is only one option when tracing the bloodline back up.

Isabella is the only blood relative of the "Leper King" and "Amaury I" who remains in this world.

In the meeting hall of the Tyre Municipal Council, the atmosphere was so tense that one could hear a pin drop, but it was also the calm before the storm.

Less than two days after Sibylla left, three rounds of conflicts had already broken out over the succession to the throne.

Isabella is indeed the most suitable successor in theory, but theory is theory and practice is practice.

In the eyes of many nobles, the Balian faction has already controlled the bureaucratic system, has the upper hand in the parliament, and has complete dominance in the cabinet. If Isabella is allowed to inherit the throne, then the nobles who are not from the Balian faction can just sit back and relax.

Even a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. Although the faction represented by Iraklius no longer has much real power, it has not yet used the army to resolve political conflicts.

Having one more voice in the King's Landing Council actually means one more say. If nothing else, at least they can be evenly matched in an argument.

Even many of Isabella's people brought short sticks with them when they entered the parliament, ready to strike six times in one second.

But the nobles on Iraklius' side, after having experienced being beaten, all wore leather armor under their clothes and prepared a lot of stones.

If a fight really breaks out, it is hard to say who will win or lose in this small Tyre City Hall.

Using the military to resolve conflicts within the system is obviously not a long-term solution, and the situation was at a stalemate for a while.

Under such circumstances, the King's Landing Parliament was about to part unhappily for the third time in a row, and the seriously ill Balian was carried into the parliament.

Balian, who was sitting in his seat, was so thin that it was unbearable to look at him. His originally broad shoulders were now collapsed and weak.

His face was as pale as wax, with deep hollows in his cheeks and prominent cheekbones that made his face look particularly thin.

When such a patient took his seat, everyone present saluted him together, even Irakliu bowed his head slightly.

In everyone's mind, if there was anyone who supported the Kingdom of Jerusalem after its defeat, it would only be Balian.

If he had not ensured the survival of 30,000 Franks in the Battle of Jerusalem, how could the Second Kingdom have made a comeback?
After that, Balian was like a spiritual totem, inspiring many knights to stay in Tyre.

He was the uncrowned king, on a par with Saladin.

But after that brief moment of respect, quarrels, accusations and insults officially broke out in the synagogue.

Balian glanced at another empty seat that should have been empty, and saw a handsome, lively and energetic young man sitting there.

The opponent formed a sharp contrast with Balian, one was alive and the other was dying.

"I'm sorry to embarrass you, Baldwin."

"got used to."

(End of this chapter)