Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 420 Sinai Peninsula
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, as a small medieval country, actually did not quite fit many people's stereotypes from the very beginning.

According to estimates by Israeli historian Joshua Prall and others, the situation at the time was probably that there were up to 12 Franks and 10 Muslims living in the cities, and another 25 Muslims and Eastern Christian peasants living in the countryside.

In other words, nearly half of the population lives in towns and cities.

Although it is somewhat counterintuitive and goes against the stereotype of the Middle Ages.

But if we ignore its so-called kingdom title and only consider its population size, it is nothing more than a larger county or a smaller prefecture in the Celestial Empire, and it is basically unable to form a self-sufficient food trade market within its own country.

Therefore, the population ratio issue does not really matter.

As for the current Kingdom of Jerusalem, its overall size has doubled compared to the Old Kingdom period, so it makes sense to discuss the proportion of urban population.

The city’s population ratio of 35% may actually be an underestimate for the current Kingdom of Jerusalem.

But no matter what, this also makes the tone of life in the Kingdom of Jerusalem centered around the city.

The cultural life of the citizens became the mainstream of the kingdom, while the rural areas were simply dependents of the various towns.

For many people who have just arrived, the city of Tyre is truly full of fresh air of freedom.

In fact, from a hygiene point of view, it is indeed much better and is not a cesspool.

In the city of Tyre, there is actually a distinction between high and low areas. Generally speaking, the streets in the new city are cleaner and tidier than those in the old city.

Melisende felt this clearly when she walked through the wall, which was already being discussed for demolition.

This is because the old part of Tyre essentially emerged through wild growth, while the new part was built through a systematic design that ensured that the functions of different blocks complemented each other and that the roads were clearly defined.

Walking on the bright streets and walking through the winding alleys of a medieval city give people completely different feelings.

In any case, the public security in the former is relatively easier to manage, while the latter relies more on mutual trust among local residents.

Fortunately, with the implementation of the police system, even though law enforcement in the old city is still relatively difficult, it allows girls like Melisende to have the courage to go directly across the city to the shops at the dock to purchase goods.

It is no longer easy to have incidents like what happened twelve years ago, when human traffickers were rampant and dared to kidnap people on the streets.

You should know that during the Old Kingdom period, there was indeed a slave market in the neighboring city of Acre. Not only Muslims, but even Christians would become slaves and could be sold in the market.

Melisende, of course, didn't care much about these things. After a brief exchange with the clerk and handing over a one-dollar bill and a supply coupon, she received a small bag of coffee beans.

After that, it takes another half an hour to return to the new city area and buy honeycomb coal nearby.

The weight of honeycomb coal was too much for a young girl like her to carry, so she actually paid in advance and had someone deliver it to her door.

When they returned home with the uncle who delivered the honeycomb coal, they saw Kafi walking out of the yard with a thick manuscript and a radiant face.

"Uncle Caffey, good afternoon." Melisende greeted him politely.

When Kafei noticed Melisende, he hesitated a little, but still responded: "Good afternoon, Her Highness Melisende."

While speaking, he also performed a courtesy.

At first, Kafi was actually Isabella's servant in the royal palace in Jerusalem.

Of course, the servant did not mean to say that Kafi was of humble origin.

In the feudal hierarchy, cross-class contact itself is somewhat taboo.

To take a more exaggerated example, the Japanese Emperor has servants who are only officials from the fifth rank or above. On a normal day, there are only a little over a hundred people in the whole of Japan who are qualified to see the Emperor.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was not that exaggerated. Royal servants like Caffey were actually often the second sons born into knight families or the Frankish freemen.

Basically, they are a type of people who are neither high-ranking nor low-ranking, and their families try to send them to the palace so that they can seek opportunities to become officials.

Therefore, although Kafi was a servant, he also had a certain cultural foundation and sufficient knowledge of court etiquette.

Although Melisende is not really enjoying the treatment of a princess now, Kafei will still pay her respects out of Sibylla's past kindness.

Melisende gave a simple return gift, which was not very standard, but Caffey didn't care.

As one of the apostles who witnessed the miracle of Garys' resurrection, Kafi's status in the Kingdom of Jerusalem is no longer the same as before.

Even though he did not become a formal official, he had a great influence on the printing industry and even single-handedly published the first newspaper in human history, "The Holy Land Weekly".

In the Kingdom of Jerusalem, when the center of power was concentrated at the parliamentary level, those who controlled the media and were able to influence public opinion and stir up public sentiment naturally became big figures.

Over the years, although local newspapers have emerged one after another in various regions, the Holy Land Weekly is still the largest newspaper, with a weekly circulation of around 3,000 to 4,000 copies.

For other local newspapers, it is actually quite good if they can maintain a stable circulation of around 500.

Today, the reason why Kafi came to visit Iraklo in person was actually to urge him to submit his manuscript.

In a major newspaper like Holy Land Weekly, the number of popular columns is actually quite limited.

The news section is the first, the fiction section is the second, and the theological debate is the third.

For a country founded on religion, no one can ignore the salvation of the soul and naturally care about how to live a pious life.

Compared with the lofty ambitions of the official ideology, many of Iraklion's views and suggestions are close to life and have always been widely followed and loved.

For example, Iraklius suggested that washing hands before meals should also be considered a religious ritual, and that this act of cleansing oneself was associated with divine grace.

Recently, due to his old age and lack of energy, some of the articles he had promised to write have been delayed for a long time, and some newspaper customers have complained.

It was under such circumstances that Kafi would come to visit Irakliou from time to time.

Fortunately, he received the manuscript on the reinterpretation of Easter from Iraklius today.

Considering the conference to be held next year, this manuscript can undoubtedly serve as a warm-up and is relatively important.

Kafei came and left in a hurry. After a brief chat, he left the mansion because he had other things to do.

As for Melisende, she directed the uncle who delivered the coal to pile the honeycomb coal in the appropriate place. Then she took out some coffee beans, found the hand-cranked grinder at home, and started to make coffee for Irakloof.

When the brewed coffee was brought out from the kitchen, Melisende pushed open the door of the study in the main house and saw Iraklius sitting in a chair, thinking about something.

"Teacher, are you thinking about something?" Melisende asked casually after bringing the coffee to the table.

"I'm wondering whether I should send you to college." Iraklius picked up the coffee and took a sip before answering Melisende's question.

The taste of the coffee was as mellow as usual. Melisandre on the side frowned slightly. She really didn't understand why Iraklion could drink such a bitter drink so easily.

"What's wrong?" Melisende was a little surprised. Iraklius did not answer directly, but continued to drink a few more sips.

Irakliou spoke again only after he had finished half of the cup of hot coffee.

"Amei, I'm dying."

"what?"

"You know what? I can't taste the flavor of many foods anymore. Only this coffee can make me feel something."

Life is full of flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty. But when you are old, how much of it can you still taste?

The desire for money can never reverse the fate of life and death.

When people are born, they have about 10,000 taste buds. As they age, the number of taste buds gradually decreases and the regeneration rate of taste buds also slows down, making the sense of taste dull.

Some older people will add excessive salt or sugar just to "get the taste".

As for Iraklius, when he just drank the cup of boiling hot coffee, he realized one thing: he didn't think the coffee was boiling hot, nor did he think it was bitter enough.

Considering my age of 71, perhaps it won’t be long before I pass away, leave this world, and go to heaven to reminisce with my old friends.

When it comes to his own life and death, Irakliu has already considered a lot, and now he can treat it calmly.

However, Melisende on the side found it hard to accept, and the plate in her hand accidentally slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.

An uncontrollable sob welled up from my chest.

To her, no matter how Iraklue seemed to outsiders, he was one of the few elders she could completely trust.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine, we are just separated in this world..."

After he finished speaking, Irakluo suddenly had another feeling. His legs had begun to go numb and he gradually lost consciousness.

By this time, Iraklue suddenly realized.

While his upper body was still able to move, he drew the last cross of his life.

"May our Father in heaven protect this country and save you and me, Amen..."

By the time the word "Amen" was spoken, it was already barely audible.

Finally, Iraklius fell into Melisende's arms.

At this point, an old man who once competed with Balian and experienced many changes passed away.

He left behind an unpublished manuscript and a large inheritance.

……

The border is a fuzzy boundary that may change at any moment.

This was especially true of the border between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Egypt, since “no one” lived there.

[He led you through that great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions, and drought where no water was; and He brought water for you out of the solid rock.]

Passages in the Bible describe the horror of the Sinai wilderness between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Egypt.

Looking at the specific numbers will give you a better feeling.

Although the annual precipitation in the area is not as low as the Nile Delta where the annual precipitation is only 5 mm, it does not exceed 150 mm in mountainous areas and less than 50 mm in coastal areas.

There is no stable water source most of the time, groundwater resources are limited, oases are scarce, rainfall is concentrated in winter, and it is often heavy rain, which can cause flash floods.

The temperature difference between day and night is significant: the daytime temperature is as high as over 20℃, and drops sharply to 5℃ or even below 0℃ at night. This is especially true in mountainous areas, where ice can even form at night.

Such an extreme temperature difference makes it extremely difficult for all kinds of life.

In spring, the Hamsin hot wind from the Sahara is prone to appear, with a sudden rise in temperature, strong wind speed, and a large amount of sand and dust.

Although the wind is relatively weak in winter, there are still dry and cold winds caused by the invasion of cold fronts, which can hurt people's faces.

The ancient Israelites, led by Moses, stayed in the wilderness for 40 years. Those were really miserable days. No wonder there are so many words against Moses in the scriptures.

[The people quarreled with Moses because there was no water to drink...They were very thirsty there and they murmured against Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”]

“Why did you bring us out of Egypt to this evil land? It is not a good place for seed, fig trees, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink. 】

As for the Egyptians and Jerusalemites at this time, they once again have to go through the torture of the Sinai Peninsula.

After all, as a gray area between the two countries, the war started here.

Thousands of troops were mobilized in this wilderness, feeling the trials and moodiness of the Lord.

Nowadays, it is winter. Although the temperature in some areas can drop below minus five degrees Celsius, there is relatively more rainfall, so there is no need to worry about dying of thirst due to lack of water.

Pay attention to keeping warm and you can still make certain combat preparations.

Starting a war in this area actually means that there will be considerable demands on logistical supplies, and the garrison troops are reluctant to leave their comfortable camps unless it is absolutely necessary.

It was past noon, and the winter sun cast a pale light high in the sky, unable to warm the mountains of Sinai.

A small group of Bedouins were moving slowly along a dry stream.

There were six of them in total, all wearing gray or ochre wool cloaks and scarves on their heads, revealing only their alert eyes and dark cheeks.

The horse's hooves trampled in a steady rhythm among the gravel and sand, and the occasional breath turned into mist in the cold air.

They are a Bedouin tribe affiliated with the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and are now carrying out reconnaissance missions in this vast land.

The nomadic Bedouin tribes actually have a very delicate position in this land.

Although it is true that many Bedouin tribes existed as sand bandits, plundering the farmers of the kingdom.

But some nomadic Bedouin tribes were able to be regarded as the king's property and were protected by the king.

They could be sold or transferred like any other property, and by the late 12th century they were often protected by the nobility or a military order.

(End of this chapter)