kingdom of nations

Chapter 50 Encounter (Part )

"Leave? Now?" the follower asked in astonishment.

He should not have refuted his master like this, but he had to know that his master had ignored everyone's dissuasion and insisted on coming to Alasarus at this most dangerous moment just to meet Prince Baldwin, the heir of Amalric I.

The fickleness of fate is vividly reflected in this child.

A few months ago, he was diagnosed with leprosy. Upon hearing the news, the Caliph's court was filled with joy, and everyone smiled and said that this was the wrath of God that came upon the Christians. No one was optimistic about the child's future, thinking that even if he did not die, he would only be able to spend the rest of his life in a monastery.

They were soon disappointed. Amalric I actually resisted the pressure from the church and insisted on holding the "selection ceremony" for his son.

Prince Baldwin did not disappoint his expectations. Not only did he see "Saint George" during the "election ceremony" - a saint that only a wise king could see, but he also showed the spear of Saint George for three days and nights. Thousands of people witnessed this holy miracle.

With the help of some people, this holy miracle spread like a bird with wings, not only to every Christian country, but also to the ears of their enemies.

The Caliph's court fell silent, the laughter and joy faded, the bright tiles and curtains seemed to have lost their color, and people were uneasy and anxious - they were worried that having a son who was not only blessed but also performed miracles would allow Amalric I to summon more knights, raise more funds, and gain more support.

Perhaps in three to five years, he will launch another attack on Egypt.

Several ministers suggested to the Caliph that more taxes should be added or taxed repeatedly, and then the tax revenues should be collected and handed over to Amalric I to make up for the previous debts.

If possible, they also suggested that they might ask Amalric I to send troops to expel the Saracens from Egypt.

They thought this conversation was confidential, but they didn't know that before the ministers could even leave the Caliph's palace, the content of the conversation had been copied down word for word and quickly sent to the Saracens, whom they despised and hated.

When Shirku, the Kurd sent to Cairo by Sultan Nur ad-Din of Zengi, received this secret letter, he did not know what to say for a moment.

He handed the letter to his nephew, the follower's willful master, who was also speechless after reading it.

What did the Caliph's court think of them? What did they think of Amalric I? Did they think they could be sent around at will with the promise of money? They were the proud and powerful generals of Nur ad-Din Sultan, not wandering knights who had lost their homes.

However, the "leper prince favored by St. George" that was highly exaggerated in the letter did arouse his master's interest.

"Aren't you going to meet the prince?"

"I have seen it."

"Ah?" The follower couldn't help but exclaimed, then he quickly closed his mouth and began to recall over and over again what had happened during this period. They had only been in Alaska for a day or two, and the people they saw were either strong knights, fat merchants, ragged and exhausted pilgrims, or nails placed by the Saracens in this holy city.

Prince Baldwin was only nine years old, and they seemed to have never seen a child so young.

"Wait, those three children aren't Byzantines?"

"I told you they are not Byzantines." His master took a silver ring from the leather bag and put it on his finger, replacing the previous one. He had been to Constantinople and stayed in that huge structure that survived by absorbing the remaining blood of the ancient empire for several months, disguised as a Saracen merchant.

Everyone praised the Byzantine Empire for its Roman heritage of greatness and glory, but he saw only bloat and rigidity.

The Byzantine emperor was greedy by nature. He always wanted to hold everything tightly in his hands and required the entire empire to operate and advance according to his will. To this end, he appointed countless officials to manage and control each region for him. But at the same time, the common suspicion of kings made it difficult for him to trust them, so he deliberately condoned them to fight and frame each other, while he, as a unique judge, sat safely on the throne to decide everyone's fate.

The consequences of this practice are visible to the naked eye: officials are lazy, the army is exhausted, the people are living in poverty, religious conflicts continue, and riots are frequent everywhere.

Even though Manuel I could be considered a decisive and wise monarch, this carriage, already loaded to its limit, could not change its fate of plunging into the abyss. It was only a matter of time. For now, it could still hold on, but only because it had a massive body. Just like a hunter would hesitate when encountering a bird with puffed feathers, everyone was waiting for someone to rush in and tear off the first piece of meat...

The three children were wearing Byzantine clothes, a loose-fitting garment he often saw in Cairo. It was also inherited from the ancient Roman Empire, but people in the ancient Roman Empire would never decorate it with jewels or embroider it with gold and silver threads. The simple pleated lines were enough to highlight the strength and relaxation of this country and its people.

Today, the Byzantines turned the originally clean and soft cloth into a jeweled shackle.

Those members of the Byzantine royal family, whether elders or children, can only be said to be prisoners in these shackles. They are numb and lifeless, with only vigilance in their eyes, swords in their hands, and their hearts full of greed and desire.

The children he saw were soft, lively, and full of hope. Even though he knew they were the children of his enemies, he couldn't help but give them his sincere praise.

"Is that the boy? I was saying, he really is a prince."

"You mean the green-eyed child? No," his master laughed, "He's not the prince. The one next to him in the orange-red clothes is the prince. He's just one of the prince's attendants."

"how is this possible?"

"Why not? From this point of view, Prince Baldwin is at least a broad-minded person."

How many people would feel jealous because others are better than themselves, especially those who are of high status but unworthy of their position.

For example, their caliph.

Atid, who was the same age as Prince Baldwin and his attendants, was silent when the ministers suggested that he bring in the tiger Amalric I to drive out the wolves entrenched in Egypt, that is, the Saracens. Although the Caliph did not explicitly agree, he remained silent.

He also often saw how the Caliph looked at him with an ominous look. Even though he and his uncle were sent to Egypt by Sultan Nur ad-Din to drive out the Christians for him, the Caliph still felt deeply jealous because people praised him, obeyed him, and supported him.

If possible, the Caliph might want to do more than just expel him. He would rather tie the bowstring around his neck and break his neck, or personally stab him in the chest with a dagger and dig out his heart.

"Then why don't you talk to Prince Baldwin again?" Although his followers did not follow him - after all, a Saracen merchant talking to a Byzantine may be for business, or he may just want to say a few words to him because of his handsome face, but one more person would arouse the knights' vigilance.

But his master left before Prince Baldwin walked out of the tent. Didn't he come for the prince?

"A lion won't walk side by side with a hyena. The best way to understand a person is to look at the people around him, not at himself. Because a person can pretend, but his friends can't. You might say that he was deceived by his friends, but if a person is close to another person, it is impossible for him to know nothing about him, otherwise he would be stupid.

If a person of high moral character discovers that his friend is a filthy villain, he will definitely stay away from him - after all, only maggots will gather together and wallow in dung pits."

When he said this, his followers also thought of the ministers in the caliph's court and their caliph.

"I remember now. They said that the prince's attendant was also blessed, and it was a shield. They all said that this attendant was born for the prince."

The attendant said, only to see his master smile meaningfully, "It's hard to say who was born for whom."

Are there kind people? Quite a few. Are there cruel people? Yes, quite a few. However, those who are kind while also maintaining a certain level of cruelty are even rarer. And in the midst of a brutal game, maintaining even the last shred of kindness is as rare as a pearl in the desert.

But compared to Prince Baldwin, this child's starting point was extremely low, and his future path would surely be even more difficult. No matter how twisted or degenerate he became in the future, he wouldn't be surprised.

But he still kept a luxurious desire in his heart...

------

This Saracen from Egypt was quick in making decisions and taking actions. After telling his entourage that he was leaving, they boarded an Egyptian merchant ship that night. Here, they unexpectedly caught a glimpse of several familiar but unpleasant faces.

They were supervising the slaves carrying goods. One wooden box was particularly large, more than one person tall and two people wide. A dull snoring sound kept coming from the box.

This dock uses a pedal crane. To put it simply, it is like a huge wooden hamster wheel with a diameter of about fifteen feet. Slaves step on the pedals like hamsters, making the wheel connected to the pulley turn, thereby pulling heavy cargo. It is said that this crane can pull up to 12,000 pounds. The ancient Egyptians used it to build the pharaoh's tomb, and the ancient Romans used it to build temples of gods.

But this type of crane also has a disadvantage, which is that it is very easy to collapse. Once it collapses, the slaves inside will either die or be injured, and the cargo will also be damaged.

Those people obviously knew this and were very nervous, of course, they were nervous about the cargo. They shouted and threatened the slaves that if they broke the boxes, everyone would be thrown into the sea.

In this tense atmosphere, the largest wooden box was lifted up precariously, left the deck, and pushed into the air. The slaves in the wheel, with their muscles bulging and sweating profusely, began to walk slowly in the opposite direction. Compared to lifting the cargo, lowering the cargo was the most dangerous. Any of the following could cause the crane to lose balance: a broken rope, a slip of the cargo box, or a sudden gust of wind. By then, their employers would not need to whip them; they would die instantly.

When the cargo was still fourteen or fifteen feet from the ground, dozens of slaves grabbed the ropes hanging from the cargo box and pulled them in all directions with all their might. Even so, when the cargo box fell to the ground, there was still a huge bang, and the ground was shaking.

"what is that?"

The sudden sound startled the guy who shouted the loudest. He immediately drew the scimitar from his waist and headed vigilantly towards the direction of the sound - a Saracen in a black robe walked out.

"It's you." The man unconsciously took a step back, thought for a moment, and then took another step forward. "This is a wedding gift from Atid Caliphate to King Amalric I of Alasar and his bride, the Byzantine Princess Maria Komnenos."

"What kind of wedding gift smells like a beast?"

"That is not something you should ask or know," the other man said bluntly, but at the Saracen's glance, he subconsciously lowered his head and bowed deeply. "Please don't embarrass me, my lord. If I tell you, I and my family will be torn to pieces by the Great Vizier Chaval."

------

The gift that Prince Baldwin brought back was indeed received with great joy, loud exclamations, and many hugs from the Countess of Jaffa.

However, the Countess was somewhat confused when she saw the divination result, because the divination result said that she would have two sons. The first son would bring her glory, while the second son would bring her even greater glory.

She touched her belly, bewildered. Amalric I was only in his thirties, and she was younger than him. At her age, she could have given birth to a son. But her husband had died not long ago. Could this prophecy be telling her to find a husband as soon as possible and give birth to a second son?

But she was a little hesitant. Amalric I was still strong and powerful, and his bride was only fifteen years old. After they got married, they might have a child soon.

If the child was a boy, almost everything Baldwin had now would be transferred to him. After all, Baldwin's illness could not be cured, which meant that he had no long-term future. Who would invest in an asset that was destined to lose everything in the short term?
She was worried that if she had a younger son, she would transfer some of her love for her older son Baldwin to him. Baldwin already had very little, and she didn't want to deprive him of what should have belonged to him.

Furthermore, the prophecy said that a second son would bring greater honor. Baldwin would be the king of Alasar. How could her second son achieve greater glory? Would he inherit Baldwin's throne... or...

Baldwin, however, paid no attention to the prophecy. He was constantly worried that he might not live longer than his mother. Who would protect her after his death? If his mother could have another son, and if this son could achieve greater achievements than he did, he would no longer have to worry.

But he saw that the Countess was not in high spirits, so to divert her attention he said, "You probably don't know the results of Damara and Cesar's divination yet?"

(End of this chapter)