kingdom of nations

Chapter 362 Choice
Grand Master Philip of the Knights Templar was not a mediocre or incompetent man. On the contrary, he could be described as wise, cautious, and devout. Moreover, he had an extraordinary intuition when it came to personnel matters. The Knights Templar had nearly six hundred knights, as well as more squires and armed attendants, and three or four hundred monk knights. Yet, he was always able to quickly grasp their strengths and weaknesses and place them in suitable positions at the right time.

The knight commander he placed in Gaza Strip was a middle-aged man in his forties who had traveled all the way from Marseille to the Holy Land in response to God's call. No one could question his loyalty—although his military talent was not outstanding, he was a steady and reliable person, and as a garrison, having such a commander was the best thing.

In Philip's understanding, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Gasarafa could hold out for at least a month or even longer, but the information they received was that Gasarafa had fallen within a week.

When the kings looked at him with questioning and inquisitive eyes, Philip didn't know how to answer. Carrier pigeons could bring news of the fall of Gasarafa, but they couldn't detail the entire process of the fall—they might not know the details for another two or three weeks.

"Perhaps those Saracens used some kind of trick again?"

"A Templar Knight said in vain," Walter, standing beside him, scoffed with disdain.

"It seems we need to prepare for both possibilities," Frederick I said.

Indeed, they had only received news a few days earlier that Saladin's army had arrived in Darum. Although Darum was also a port city, its size and importance were far inferior to that of Gashalafa, so they felt they still had time.

But if Gashalafa falls, then only Yashkiran and Mungisar will stand between Saladin's army and the holy city.

These two cities, like Darum, were just small, empty towns, offering them no hope whatsoever—Ghasarafa, after decades of development by the Crusaders, boasted several castles of varying sizes and a garrison of three thousand men.

Richard scratched his messy red hair in frustration: "It's too early to say anything now. We'll make a decision after we've determined the specifics of the Garsalam method—the most important thing right now is to take down Holmes."

It is now certain that Holmes has such a formidable enemy, and even if they retreat to Alassa Road now, they cannot avoid the threat he may pose.

Besides, there's Damascus—they really don't want to attack Damascus a third time.

Cesar and Baldwin exchanged a glance, and Baldwin nodded slightly. They were waiting not only for the fall of Gashalafa, but also for the merchants and knights to estimate and assess Saladin's army. This was the most important information.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, in the largest castle in Gaza Shafa, Saladin was entertaining his captives.

He sat enthroned on his throne, dressed in a yellow silk robe, which was not his usual attire. He usually wore a pure black cotton robe. He dressed this way because their prophet had taught them that they should wear silk when facing their enemies, to show the glory of a victor.

He did just that, and he was surrounded by a group of white or brown-skinned boys who were taller and stronger than other children their age, with bright eyes, broad shoulders, and tall stature. They wore white headscarves and were dressed in the same yellow silk as Saladin, a kind of honor bestowed upon them by Saladin.

People called them "Mamluks." The word "Mamluk" originally meant slave, but the Mamluks around the original Sultan were not pure—these young men were Saladin's private slaves, while the original Mamluks were a mix of free people and mercenaries among the slaves.

They were fiercely loyal to the Sultan, regarding him almost as a walking prophet and another father. This victory filled them with hope for the future—for these slaves, nothing could be better than following a great and valiant master.

The prisoner Saladin saw was the Knight Commander of the Templar Order stationed in Gashalafa.

When he saw Saladin, he first lowered his head in shame, and then stood up straight. Saladin was not angry, nor did he demand that he kneel. Instead, he ordered his shackles to be removed and said, "Give him a cup of water." A Mamluk went over, poured a cup of rose water from a silver pot, and placed it in front of the prisoner.

The knight general of Gasarafa hesitated. He knew Saracen law: if a sultan or a leader like an emir or vizier gave a prisoner food or water, it meant he was going to pardon him. He wanted to refuse—he had lost Gasarafa, and he knew that even if he returned to the Knights Templar, the knights would question him about how he could have allowed such an important city to fall so easily into enemy hands.

He could hardly come up with a reason. For a moment, he wanted to refuse the rose water and let the other party kill him, but his desire to live made him take the water. He quickly put it to his lips and took a sip. Although it was supposed to be sweet and refreshing rose water, it tasted like a bitter poison to him.

Seeing that he had drunk rose water, Saladin became less interested in the man.

He didn't know whether he wanted to see more or fewer such enemies.

From a Sultan's perspective, he certainly hoped there would be more fools like this, so that he could achieve his goal of unifying the Saracen world and driving out these Franks more quickly. But sometimes he also felt that making enemies of these people would be a humiliation to himself.

He shook his head. "Take him away and give him a room."

The Mamluk was about to take the knight steward away, but he stubbornly stood still, and after a long while, he finally asked hesitantly, "What about me, my wife and children?"

They are all doing well.

“I don’t believe it. If you are as generous as you say, you should send them to me. I won’t feel at ease until I see them.”

"Then you'd better not worry," Saladin said coldly, glancing at him without any intention of explaining how he treated prisoners, especially innocent women and children.

He waved his hand again, and this time the Mamluks did not hesitate. They shoved the knight and led him out. The knight did not dare to shout anymore—hidden beneath that impatience was a cold killing intent, which he could feel.

Saladin was indeed tolerant, but he despised cowards, idiots, and fools—a knight who almost embodied all those roles.

He truly hadn't expected to master the Gazalafa so quickly.

After capturing Darum, Saladin's cavalry was unexpectedly attacked by the Crusaders and almost completely wiped out. The reports from those who escaped puzzled him, as there shouldn't have been so many troops in their location, especially blessed knights.

It was just a small castle located east of Gasarafa. Saladin barely paid any attention to the place. So he sent out a small but elite team, which included several scholars who had received prophetic revelations. They did indeed encounter no fewer than ten knights there who had also been blessed by God.

They captured a squire and learned from him that the small castle belonged to the Lady of Gasarafa—this was quite intriguing. Saladin couldn't possibly be unaware that the Knights Templar were an armed monastic order of Christians, which meant that anyone who joined the order, regardless of marital status, had to abstain from women. Unmarried men, of course, had to remain chaste, and married men, like monks, severed all ties with the secular world. They would not even see their wives again, and would hand over their lands, surnames, and titles to their sons or male relatives.

Even if the knight's wife, who was far away in Frankish, came to visit him, she shouldn't be here.

Moreover, he had heard that the lady had a son who was over two years old with the knight.

Although he was very surprised, after pressing him further, he learned that the knight steward had fallen in love with a beautiful woman—she might be Armenian, or Isaac, or Turkic, it didn't really matter—her beauty completely captivated the knight in sweet love, they secretly married, and then the woman was settled in a small castle not far from Gasarafa.

The chief knight demanded that everyone treat her as a countess and arranged for knights to protect her.

This is why Saladin's knights were attacked in a completely unexpected place.

Upon learning this news, Saladin did not immediately send troops to capture the small castle as people expected, nor did he seize the woman and child to hold them hostage to extort money from the knight-general of Gasharapa.

This was not Saladin's style, but he would not give up such a good bargaining chip for nothing. He sent messengers to the castle of Gashalafa to inform the knight-general that his "wife and children" were under the protection of Sultan Saladin, while sending troops to surround the small castle. He ignored the knight-general's rage and provocation and simply waited calmly.

If the other party could abandon this illusory love and choose to be loyal to his duty, Saladin might think more highly of him.

But on the fifth day, even though he did not attack the small castle or cut off the supply of food and water, the knight commander of Gashalafa could not suppress his worries—he opened the city gates and led his troops to charge towards Saladin's army.

He may have clung to a sliver of hope, thinking he could break through the Saracen camp and bring his wife and children back to the safety of the Crusader castle, but this was the moment Saladin had been waiting for. His Mamluks, like a pack of dogs released to tear apart their prey, instantly swallowed up Qashalaf's army.

A Mamluk army that had been lying in ambush near the city gate seized the opportunity to rush into the city and, after a fierce battle, took control of the gate. The rest is history. The knight-general not only failed to rescue his wife and children, but also lost his own life. Saladin summoned him simply to see what kind of man this was who had so easily abandoned honor and duty for a woman.

“I should have known better than to waste time,” Sudan muttered, a rare occurrence for him.

Next, he summoned his generals and dispatched an army to Ramla and Jaffa, the two places most likely to send troops to threaten them.

Of course, the main force of his army would still be facing Yalasaroo.

Now, there are no obstacles between them and Arazari. It remains to be seen whether the holy city can hold out long enough against his army, or whether he can launch a campaign against Damascus, or even whether the army of Holmes can return in time before he conquers Arazari.

Or could they have other reinforcements? For example, Byzantines and Antioch? Or Armenia?

This idea made Saladin laugh. He glanced at the water clock in the corner of the room; it was almost time for prayer. He ordered someone to bring a silk carpet and called his eldest son to kneel down with him. The successive capture of Darum and Qasarafa was indeed gratifying, but he knew that God's tests were never passed so easily.

But how will you choose?
That black-haired, blue-eyed boy...

For the monarchs who came from afar, the capture of Damascus, Homs, and Hamas was an unexpected bonus.

Apole, however, is a city seemingly forged from steel, and Apole Castle is as large as a small town. To take it, the war would likely continue until January of next year, by which time he might have already occupied Arrasa Road.

But if he wants to rescue Arrasa, he will have to abandon Edessa.

Edessa was his territory, and no one would be willing to fight for a piece of land that already had an owner for a long time.

Saladin knew that in Christian countries, on that unfamiliar continent, kings still fought and struggled against each other, and they dared not expend all their strength on a place that had almost nothing to do with them.

------

Just as Saladin had thought, the Crusaders at this moment had been aroused by the evil deeds of the Grand Eunuch, and anyone who had seen the victims could not help but feel a deep hatred rising in their hearts, even Cesare.

Everyone, whether knight, squire, or ordinary laborer, had bloodshot eyes, pounded their chests, and vowed to avenge the Christians in Holmes.

Before the siege began, the Crusader monks and priests held a solemn requiem mass for the dead. The procession passed through each camp, and when the knights saw the procession coming, they either followed the procession or knelt by the roadside and made the sign of the cross to pray for these innocent dead.

This offensive was undoubtedly extremely fierce, even surpassing that of Damascus. Siege towers, catapults, ballistae, and Greek fire roared like the weeping of the people, day and night, endlessly.

At the same time, just as in Damascus, they also began to dig up the city walls.

The Saracens in Holmes knew that if Holmes fell, no one would escape with their lives; this was no longer a feud that could be resolved through negotiation and trade.

They could only surge onto the city walls and do everything they could to stop the Crusader advance. What puzzled Cesar was that he, Baldwin, or Richard, would only try to break through places guarded by scholars and warriors—generally, these places were very conspicuous, with few guards and few defensive weapons, yet they were able to hold back the Christians' wave-like attacks.

But for some reason, there weren't as many such places as they had imagined.

During a lull in the fighting, Cesar told Baldwin about it, and Baldwin looked somewhat hesitant: "Are they going to follow in Shavar's footsteps?"

They intended to let the Crusaders into the city, and then burn their city down along with the enemy.

But Cesar simply glanced silently into the city. Unlike Folstadt before, this city had not surrendered. Everyone knew that the residents inside had no chance of leaving the city alive. Moreover, Holmes had sealed off the city long before their arrival. They had also inquired with the surrounding merchants and learned that Holmes had not purchased large quantities of grease and earthenware jars beforehand.

Moreover, if the Crusaders followed their latest management methods, they would not allow the knights to plunder everywhere after entering the city, which would lead to the dispersal of personnel, the complex situation, and chaos everywhere—David had already taken out Holmes' map, on which they had divided the area into sections.

No matter which wall they entered Homs from, order would not be disrupted. Moreover, a large amount of water and sand would be brought into the city with them. It can be said that even if the people in the city deliberately set fires, they would not be able to achieve the same effect as Fosterstedt.

However, the situation had already developed to the point that they had no time to think. They needed to take Holmes as soon as possible and then lead their army back to Arrassa. They trusted Count Belion, who was left behind in Arrassa, but Saladin had already proven that his past reputation was not unfounded.

Even so, it took them a whole month to capture Homs. After taking the city, the Crusaders did not take any prisoners, but executed all the Saracens. In the Saracen dwellings, they found many old people, children, and women who had already died. They may have foreseen their tragic fate and chose to be killed by their children, husbands, or fathers.

After that, the whereabouts of the troops became another problem.

Neither Richard nor Frederick I had any intention of leading their troops back. They were both seasoned warriors who had fought on the battlefield for years. Of course, they knew that a war, like the wind, has its ups and downs. When the wind is strong, morale is high, and they can destroy almost any obstacle in their path. Whether it is defeating the enemy's army or capturing their cities, it is as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Conversely, if the opposite is true, no matter how ingenious the tactics or how powerful the army, it will fall into all sorts of misfortunes.

Seeing the possibility of replicating the glorious victory of the first Eastern Expedition, Frederick I and Richard were unwilling to give up this opportunity easily.

Philip II, however, believed he had acquired enough religious capital and wanted to return.

But he still had nearly three thousand soldiers and more than two hundred knights, among whom the Earl of Champagne was the closest to him. He had been wounded during the attack on Holmes and had decided to return to Frank with him. The Earl of Champagne's two younger brothers decided to stay behind.

After all, this eastern expedition might be their last. They are no longer young, and of course they hope to achieve a satisfactory result.

Neither Frederick I nor Richard intended to obstruct it, nor was there any need for it.

After all, Philip II had already agreed that any knights and lords who wanted to stay could do so, and he could even cover a portion of their stipends.

This could be considered a sincere sentiment, but he still had some regrets about not being able to continue fighting alongside Cesar. Cesar could only reply with a wry smile that even if he stayed, he would not be able to continue fighting alongside him.

Because he had already discussed with Frederick I and Richard that he would return to Arrassa with Baldwin, while Richard and Frederick I would continue the attack on Hama or later Apollo.

“But Edessa, Edessa is so close!” Philip II couldn’t help but exclaim.

"More important than Edessa is the road of Arazar, the most sacred and holy place."

Philip II moved his lips but didn't speak, but Cesare could see the meaning in his eyes: Allassaro ultimately belonged to Baldwin, while Edessa truly belonged to Cesare. Although vassals had the obligation to serve their king, there was a great deal of room for maneuver in this matter. Didn't they see that Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch hadn't shown his face even now?

“I swore to Baldwin that I would be wherever he is,” Cesar said. Besides, they had to rush back to Arrasa Road, a long journey, and once they arrived, they might have to immediately join the battle.

He would never feel comfortable letting Baldwin go back alone, no matter what.

Philip II seemed about to say something more, but Richard strode in and said, "The eunuch's body has been found."

(End of this chapter)