Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 393 The Promised Land
Aziz stayed here on his own initiative, but Roger wanted to leave but was unable to and was forced to stay here.

As on the previous day, Roger was particularly worried that the enemy would launch a night attack, so he arranged the night guard very carefully.

However, because Heinrich was injured, he could only temporarily arrange a company of Paladins to temporarily replace Heinrich's position.

To be honest, the reason why Roger made such detailed arrangements is inseparable from his personal experience.

Roger had previously conquered Acre with Garys.

It was the dawn, which was the most difficult time for the guards. In addition, the light was poor, and the vision of the soldiers defending the city was always a little blurry.

It was really shocking to see Garys rushing towards the wall of Acre carrying a barrel of explosives at that moment.

Moreover, in many subsequent battles, the army of Jerusalem liked to attack at this time, and always achieved unexpected results.

When he became the defender, Roger naturally and subconsciously put himself in other people's shoes and worried whether the enemy would do the same.

This actually had a considerable impact on the quality of rest for the camp. For the sentries, they were asked to get up and stand for two hours in the middle of the night and had no chance to catch up on sleep the next day. This could affect their mental state for the entire day.

To be honest, Roger was a little too cautious.

As early as the first night, Aziz had brought his troops to the vicinity of Camel City and observed their camp.

Aziz's troops, which were in full swing at the time, did not choose to launch a night attack because they were worried that the attack would not be well organized and would be defeated in the chaos.

Today was the second night, and most of the soldiers had been in a state of tension throughout the whole day, so they had no intention of launching an attack on Roger.

In this way, both sides spent another night in peace.

……

Many people come from humble beginnings and are not well-known when they are young, while others are born into noble families and do not realize their abilities when they have parents to take care of them.

However, when the time comes, he suddenly steps onto the stage and demonstrates his abilities.

Russell and Lance are such representatives.

But it’s not to say that they are really gifted.

It was just a coincidence that I met Garys. After being influenced by him for a long time, my vision gradually broadened and I began to read the scriptures with him.

Because of their reliability, they are sent to various positions for training, thus gaining experience that many others do not have.

By now, Lance and Russell had been leading the political affairs of Antioch for 11 years.

Under their leadership, Antioch flourished.

Standing on the hill, Lance, who was observing the distance with a telescope, said to Russell beside him: "Russell, do you remember a sentence in the scriptures?"

"What? There are so many words in the scriptures, how would I know what you mean?"

“I am saying this: On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.’”

Hearing Lance say this, Russell, as a Paladin who had received systematic theological education, naturally understood what he meant.

This verse from Genesis, the first book of the Pentateuch, establishes the concept of the Promised Land.

The Egyptian River does not refer to the Nile River, but a seasonal river on the Sinai Peninsula. It only gathers water in the rainy season and dries up in the summer. As for the Euphrates River, it is not far from their feet. If you ride a horse, you can reach it in one day, and it takes no more than three days to walk.

In other words, when they capture the big city of Aleppo, it means that the entire promised land will be in their hands.

Under such circumstances, a call is growing louder in the kingdom.

That is: compared to the Jews who lost their land, they are the real Israelites, the nation that made a covenant with God in the scriptures.

The scope of the Israelites is not limited to the Franks, but is equivalent to all citizens in the kingdom.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you will be my own special possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. And you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites.”

Russell responded to Lance with a sentence from the scriptures, expressing his own attitude.

An important part of theology is to interpret the scriptures and use them to guide practical problems in this world.

In Jerusalem Theology, this passage is explained in detail.

The last sentence "You must tell the Israelites" is the result, and the previous ones are the causes. In other words, as long as you do the previous ones, you should be an Israelite.

The conditions are listed one by one: obey my voice, keep my covenant, be my people, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

Specifically, they establish a legal community based on the covenant with God, each person bears the role of mediator and witness, proclaims the holy name of Gairis to the nations, is morally holy, and is institutionally distinct from pagan culture, leading the change of the times.

There is another sentence in Romans: For not all fleshly Israelites are Israelites.

This has actually made it very clear that the real "Israel" is spiritual, and is a people who trust in God and keep their covenant.

In the eyes of Lance, Russell and others, this land is so sacred that once unified, it should not be divided again, and the residents here also achieve their identity through faith rather than blood.

Russell went on to say, “The prophet stood on the high ground and said, ‘My Father will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.’ ”

"He calls us the true chosen people of God, more worthy of the title of descendants of Abraham than those despicable Jews who betrayed Jesus."

"He clearly said at the time that the Jews are treacherous, and we are simple and honest!"

When he said this, Russell couldn't help but smile.

Lance also smiled, and then he said: "Now if we want to truly become Israelis, there are only two stumbling blocks in front of us, one here and one over there."

Lance pointed first to the west and then to the east.

In the west, in the wilderness, there are two camps, one on the hill, which looks particularly neat, and the other at the foot of the hill, which is messy.

And in the East, of course, it's Aleppo.

"By the way, how long do you think Roger can hold on?"

After talking about those ideals that were about to be realized, Lance turned the issue to the military.

"At least three days, right? After all, they are a supply team and they are transporting a huge amount of gunpowder."

"That's what I think, too. So don't rush. Wait until the flanking troops arrive at the location before we attack. This time, we're going to fight a decisive battle!"

(End of this chapter)